o 


I/ 


BIWV.  OP  CALIF.  LH5« ART.  LOi  ANGELSfe 


THE  LAND  OF 

WONDERS 


BY 

EDWARD   S.    ELLIS 

AUTHOR  OF  "THROUGH  JUNGLE  AND  WILDERNESS," 

"A  WAIF  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS,"    "LOST 

IN  THE  WILDS,"  ETC. 


CHICAGO 

GEO.  M.  HILL  CO. 
PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,  i8gg,  BY 
THE  MERSHON  COMPANY. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGB 

I.    THE  HAUNTED  ISLAND  AGAIN,     .       .        .  i 

II.     IN  THE  TOILS, 12 

III.  COMPANIONS   IN  MISERY — THE    TRIAL  AND 

SENTENCE, 22 

IV.  CARRYING  OUT  THE  SENTENCE,     ...  32 
V.     IN  THE  CAVERN — UNDERGROUND   EXPLORA- 
TIONS,            40 

VI.    AN  IMPRESSIVE  SIGHT — NEW   DISCOVERIES,  51 

VII.    FIGHTING  AGAINST  DESPAIR,         ...  63 

VIII.     BLIND  GROPING — A  WONDERFUL  MESSAGE,  71 
IX.     STRUGGLING  TOWARD  THE  LIGHT — CALLING 

NEXT  DOOR,       .        .        .        .        .        .79 

X.    WALLED  IN  BY  DESPAIR 88 

XI.     LIKE  MANNA, 96 

XII.    A  TERRIFYING  DISCOVERY 107 

XIII.  WEARY  DAYS  AND  NIGHTS 117 

XIV.  THE  LANTERN  OVERHEAD,    .        .        .        .125 
XV.     ON  THE  LAKE, 134 

XVI.    ANNIHILATION, 143 

XVII.    SURVEYING  THE  RUINS — A  VISITOR    FROM 

THE  LAKE, 151 

XVIII.     A  CURIOUS  REGION — THE  RECONNOISSANCE,  162 

XIX.     WALLED  IN  BY  FIRE, 170 

iii  • 


2129222 


iv 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  FAGB 

XX.  THE  LAST  DESPAIRING  EFFORT,           .        .  176 

XXI.     FIRE  AND  WATER 185 

XXII.  A  NARROW  ESCAPE— THE  ENCAMPMENT  BY 

THE  LAKE, *93 

XXIII.  PUSHING  NORTHWARD,          .        .        .        .203 

XXIV.  OTHER  ENEMIES 209 

XXV.     THE  CAMP, 219 

XXVI.    THIEVES  OF  THE  NIGHT,       .        .        .        .228 

XXVII.    THE  YOUNG  PRISONER,          ....    239 

XXVIII.     CONCLUSION, 250 


The  Land  of  Wonders 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  HAUNTED  ISLAND  AGAIN 

IT  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  close  of 
"  Through  Jungle  and  Wilderness,"  Senor  Al- 
fredo Alfiero,  the  uncle  of  young  Jack  Winch,  by 
turning  his  telescope  in  the  direction  of  the 
Haunted  Island,  discovered  to  his  dismay  that  the 
lad  had  gone  thither. 

"  The  very  place  of  all  others  that  I  wished  him 
to  avoid !  "  exclaimed  the  alarmed  gentleman ; 
"  how  he  can  ever  get  away  again  is  beyond  my 
comprehension." 

He  was  half  disposed  to  give  it  up  and  making 
his  way  to  the  nearest  town  open  negotiations  for 
the  ransom  of  the  lad,  but  fearing  to  do  so,  he 
sent  a  shrill  whistle  across  the  lake  in  the  hope  of 

i 


arresting  the  lad,  but  the  distance  was  too  great 
to  attract  his  attention. 

Feeling  that  no  time  was  to  be  lost  the  gentle- 
man hurriedly  searched  along  the  shore  until  he 
found  a  tiny  canoe.  Its  buoyancy  was  barely 
enough  to  sustain  his  weight,  but  carefully  en- 
tering it  he  took  up  his  paddle  and  began  cau- 
tiously approaching  the  island.  He  could  de- 
tect no  signs  of  life,  and  after  some  hesitation  he 
ran  the  frail  boat  against  the  land  and  stepped 
out. 

But  the  senor  had  made  the  mistake  while 
drawing  near  the  Haunted  Island  to  keep  his  at- 
tention fixed  upon  that,  without  casting  a  single 
glance  at  the  shore  that  he  had  left  behind  him. 

Meanwhile,  Jack  Winch  had  awakened  early 
and  looked  around  for  his  uncle  thinking  he 
might  have  arrived  during  the  night. 

"  He  isn't  here,"  he  said,  after  a  brief  search; 
"  and  like  as  not  he  has  got  into  some  trouble, 
and  I  will  have  to  make  the  rest  of  the  journey  to 
Vera  Cruz  alone,  for  Vega  does  not  mean  to 
show  himself  any  more.  I  guess  he  has  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  Haunted  Island,  or  he 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  3 

wouldn't  be  so  anxious  to  keep  us  from  going 
there." 

Making  his  way  to  the  top  of  the  observatory 
rock  he  scanned  the  lake  and  the  island  as  best  he 
could. 

It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  say  that  he  dis- 
covered nothing  of  his  uncle  or  his  enemies. 

"  He  must  be  there,"  thought  Jack,  "  and  I 
made  up  my  mind,  last  night,  that  if  he  wasn't 
here  by  daylight  I  would  go  after  him,  and  so  I 
will,  if  I  can  find  any  way  of  doing  so." 

Having  settled  into  this  determination,  he 
started  out  at  once  to  carry  it  into  execution. 

But  canoes  were  not  so  plenty  along  the  shore 
as  he  thought  to  find  them,  and  the  hunt  for  one 
was  so  long  that  he  became  discouraged,  and  was 
on  the  point  of  giving  over  the  search  when  he 
was  fortunate  enough  to  find  one. 

The  boat  was  a  small  one,  but  it  looked  as  if  it 
had  been  used  recently,  and  the  paddle  was  there 
for  whomsoever  might  wish  it. 

Jack  did  not  hesitate,  but  stepped  in  and  shoved 
off. 

He  was  not  much  of  an  adept  in  the  use  of  the 
oar,  but  where  the  boat  was  so  slight  and  easily 


4  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

propelled,  there  could  be  no  difficulty  in  keeping 
the  craft  in  motion  in  the  direction  of  the  island. 

Jack  Winch  reached  his  destination  at  last. 

Having  gone  thus  far,  he  did  not  hesitate  any 
more,  but  drew  the  canoe  up  on  the  shore,  where 
he  could  reclaim  it  when  he  chose. 

This  done,  he  started  for  the  "  interior." 

The  whistle  which  was  uttered  at  this  moment 
by  the  man  for  whom  he  was  looking  did  not 
reach  his  ears. 

Little  Jack  found  the  central  portion  of  the  is- 
land with  rocks  and  dense  undergrowth  in  abun- 
dance, but  as  yet  he  saw  nothing  of  any  persons. 

"  I  guess  they  don't  know  anything  about  my 
being  here,"  was  the  unreasonable  conclusion  to 
which  he  came,  in  thinking  over  the  matter,  "  for, 
if  they  had,  they  would  be  down  here,  and  I  would 
have  had  to  give  an  account  of  myself." 

After  looking  and  listening  and  waiting  for 
some  little  time,  Jack  ventured  to  penetrate  a 
little  further  into  the  interior  of  the  Haunted 
Country. 

As  he  was  walking  along,  he  was  struck  with 
the  hollow  sound  of  the  ground. 


THE  LAXD  OF  WONDERS.  5 

He  was  not  long  in  concluding  that  it  was  due 
to  a  cavern  beneath. 

Could  he  have  suspected  what  an  adventure  his 
uncle  had  met  with  in  that  place,  he  would  have 
gotten  away  with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  The 
warning  would  have  been  sufficient. 

The  hollow  sound  continued,  and  he  was  pick- 
ing his  way  with  great  care,  fearful  that  he  would 
be  precipitated  into  some  abyss  below,  from  which 
he  would  not  be  able  to  extricate  himself. 

This  tedious  traveling  continued  some  minutes, 
when  he  was  not  a  little  alarmed  by  hearing  per- 
sons talking. 

The  voices  were  not  intelligible,  but  they 
sounded  so  distinctly  as  to  tell  him  they  were 
quite  close  to  him  indeed. 

Jack  was  so  sure  of  this  that  he  hastily  re- 
treated several  steps  and  hid  himself  securely  be- 
hind a  mass  of  stone. 

The  voices  were  directly  in  the  front  and  not 
more  than  a  dozen  feet  off,  despite  which  he  was 
not  able  to  locate  the  precise  point,  or  detect  the 
slightest  agitation  of  the  bushes,  to  indicate  the 
presence  of  the  cause. 

"  That  must  be  some  of  the  ghosts,"  concluded 


6  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

the  lad,  with  a  tremor  of  dread,  "  for  nothing  but 
ghosts  could  talk  right  by  you  without  you  see- 
ing something " 

He  stopped  abruptly,  for  just  then  he  did  see 
something. 

Two  men  came  to  view,  rising  as  if  from  the 
ground. 

For  a  minute  or  two,  Jack  believed  that  such 
was  the  manner  of  their  appearance,  but  he  dis- 
covered the  explanation  a  few  minutes  after. 

The  men  whom  he  saw  were  coming  up  from 
the  cavern  over  which  he  was  standing  at  that 
very  moment. 

He  saw  by  the  movements  of  their  arms  that 
they  were  helping  themselves  upward. 

Still  it  did  not  seem  to  be  very  hard  work,  for 
almost  immediately  they  stood  on  the  hard 
ground  above. 

Here  they  waited  for  some  little  time,  talking 
together  in  such  low  tones  that  the  boy  could 
catch  nothing  of  what  they  said. 

He  was  too  much  alarmed  to  attempt  to  learn 
the  subject  of  their  conversation,  for  the  second 
glance  at  the  couple  made  known  the  alarming 
fact  that  they  were  the  identical  outlaws  who 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  7 

had  stolen  him  from  camp  on  the  very  first  night 
of  his  stay  on  shore. 

He  could  not  forget  those  two  villainous  coun- 
tenances, and  there  they  were,  almost  within 
arm's  length. 

Aside  from  the  fear  which  was  excited  by  this 
discovery,  there  was  an  element  of  the  curious 
about  it.  It  was  certainly  singular  that  two  men 
who  a  fortnight  before  were  cruising  along  the 
Mexican  coast  should  now  be  found  climbing  out 
of  a  cavern  on  the  Haunted  Island. 

It  proved  at  least  that  whoever  the  men  were 
in  that  place,  they  were  connected  with  other  out- 
laws or  cutthroats  who  had  their  retreats  in  some 
of  the  most  inaccessible  portions  of  the  country. 

Jack  Winch  had  no  desire  to  meet  these  fel- 
lows, and  he  heartily  wished,  the  moment  he  saw 
them,  that  he  was  back  on  the  mainland  again, 
where  he  was  in  less  danger  of  falling  into  their 
hands. 

He  recalled  that  they  had  assured  him  that  if 
he  attempted  to  leave  their  boat  without  permis- 
sion, they  would  kill  him  and  he  believed  they 
would  carry  out  that  threat,  if  they  could  lay 
hands  on  him  again. 


8  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

It  was  useless  to  try  and  get  away  so  long  as 
they  staid  where  they  were. 

The  slightest  movement  on  the  part  of  Jack 
would  be  likely  to  expose  himself. 

Fortunately  for  the  little  fellow,  he  was  not 
subjected  to  this  nervous  strain  for  any  length 
of  time. 

These  two  men,  at  least,  could  have  no  sus- 
picion of  the  presence  of  the  lad  upon  the  island, 
as  they  must  have  been  underground  at  the  min- 
ute when  he  landed. 

They  soon  moved  away,  taking  a  course  that 
led  directly  from  where  the  boy  was  hiding. 

When  they  were  out  of  sight  and  hearing,  Jack 
breathed  more  freely,  and  he  began  to  ask  himself 
whether  he  had  not  committed  the  greatest  folly 
of  his  life  in  venturing  thus  into  the  lion's  den. 

"  I  guess  I'll  leave  here,"  he  said,  after  a  mo- 
ment's thought  over  the  matter,  "  and  if  I  once 
get  on  the  mainland  again,  I'll  stay  there  till 
Uncle  Frede  comes  to  me." 

He  had  not  gone  very  far  from  the  spot  where 
he  landed,  and  he  was  confident  he  could  return 
to  it  without  difficulty. 

He  had  noticed  the  landmarks  as  he  made  his 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  9 

way  along,  and  he  recognized  them  now  when  he 
started  back  again. 

The  remembrance  of  the  two  outlaws  whom  he 
had  seen  caused  him  to  use  still  greater  caution 
than  before  in  picking  his  way  through  the  under- 
growth and  around  the  rocks. 

But  he  was  not  to  reach  his  destination  with- 
out another  great  scare. 

The  rustling  of  the  undergrowth  told  of  the 
coming  of  some  one,  and  he  had  just  time  to  hide 
himself,  when  he  caught  sight  of  a  single  man 
approaching  with  rapid  stride. 

Had  not  the  mind  of  the  stranger  been  preoccu- 
pied, he  surely  would  have  caught  sight  of  the 
boy  crouching  in  the  vegetation  beside  the  path, 
and  looking  out  with  a  terrified  countenance  upon 
him  as  he  went  by. 

But,  as  it  was,  he  failed  to  observe  him,  and 
this  peril  also  disappeared. 

Jack  Winch  had  seen  enough  to  make  him 
heartily  sick  of  his  fool-hardiness. 

"  I  don't  know  how  I  came  to  do  it,"  he  said  to 
himself.  "  Uncle  Frede  has  warned  me  so  many 
times,  and  yet  I  forget  to  act  as  he  wishes  me,  and 
the  only  thing  for  him  to  do  is  to  take  me  back 


io  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

home  and  wait  till  I  get  old  enough  to  know  bet- 
ter." 

This  was  a  wise  conclusion,  and  Jack  was  in 
earnest  in  presenting  it  to  himself. 

The  report  of  a  rifle  from  some  point  on  the 
island  was  enough  to  keep  him  in  a  fever  of  ap- 
prehension, and  to  cause  him  to  imagine  all  sorts 
of  terrible  things. 

"  Maybe  they  have  shot  at  Uncle  Frede,  and  I 
shall  never  see  him  again,  and  then  I  will  die  of  a 
broken  heart." 

Great  as  was  his  fear  and  distress,  he  crept  for- 
ward, and  was  soon  in  so  far  along  that  he 
caught  the  glimmer  of  the  surface  of  the  lake  in 
the  bright  sunshine. 

The  sight  urged  him  to  greater  haste,  and  a 
minute  later  he  stood  by  the  shore,  on  the  very 
spot  where  he  had  landed  but  a  short  time  before. 

But  a  great  and  overwhelming  disappointment 
awaited  him. 

His  canoe  was  gone! 

Some  one  had  removed  it  during  his  absence. 

What  should  he  do? 

It  must  be  that  somebody  had  discovered  the 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  n 

fact  that  he  had  landed,  and  was  waiting  close  at 
hand  to  capture  him. 

The  thought  filled  Jack  with  such  terror  that 
he  instantly  retreated  several  yards,  and  crouched 
down  among  the  undergrowth  in  hiding,  as  if  he 
had  detected  the  stealthy  approach  of  his  enemies. 

He  listened,  but  hearing  nothing,  began,  after 
a  while,  to  regain  courage  and  to  hope  that  the 
means  of  his  escape  were  not  entirely  cut  off. 

"  There  must  be  some  other  boat  not  far  away, 
and  if  I  can  find  that  I  will  get  off  yet  in  spite  of 
them." 

Actuated  by  this  hope,  he  began  creeping 
stealthily  along  the  margin  of  the  lake  in  quest 
of  a  canoe. 

The  search  was  very  difficult,  for  in  many 
places  the  shore  was  so  steep  with  the  rugged 
rocks,  that  he  was  forced  to  withdraw  some  dis- 
tance to  continue  the  hunt. 


CHAPTER  II 

IN  THE  TOILS 

JACK  WINCH  worked  his  way  along  the  edge 
of  the  island  in  this  manner  until  he  had  passed 
something  like  a  hundred  yards,  when  he  found 
himself  brought  to  a  halt  by  a  mass  of  rocks,  to 
flank  which  it  was  necessary  to  make  a  long  de- 
tour. 

He  sat  down  half  discouraged  with  the  pros- 
pect. 

Everything  conspired  to  take  his  courage  away. 

The  day  was  wearing  away,  and,  uncertain  as 
to  his  gaining  a  chance  to  paddle  back  to  the 
mainland,  he  was  asking  himself  whether  there 
was  no  means  by  which  he  could  construct  a  raft, 
to  be  used  after  dark. 

There  was  an  abundance  of  wood  on  the  island, 
and  it  needed  but  very  little  to  float  him. 

He  would  as  lief  sink  to  his  chin  in  the  water, 

12 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  13 

and  use  the  raft  to  carry  his  gun  and  to  leave  to 
him  merely  the  task  of  propulsion. 

This  was  not  the  most  agreeable  way  in  the 
world  to  get  back  to  land,  but  it  was  far  prefer- 
able to  remaining  where  he  was. 

"  I  guess  that  is  better  than  staying  here,  and 
there  is  too  much  risk  in  my  walking  and  crawl- 
ing around  the  island,  without  knowing  where  I 
am  going Hello!  " 

Jack  was  becoming  accustomed  to  the  sounds 
of  parties  stealing  through  the  undergrowth,  and 
when  his  ear  caught  the  familiar  rustling,  he 
merely  shrank  back,  and  lying  flat  on  the  ground, 
where  he  was  pretty  well  covered  with  vegeta- 
tion, he  was  quite  hopeful  of  escaping  detection. 

This  assurance  was  somewhat  shaken  when 
two  men  stepped  forth  and  halted  a  dozen  feet 
away,  with  their  backs  turned  towards  him,  and 
began  conversing. 

That  which  caused  Jack  a  thrill  of  misgiving 
was  the  fact  that  these  villains  were  the  very  two 
men  who  were  on  the  boat  from  which  he  ran 
away,  and  who  seemed  to  have  been  following 
him  up  since  his  landing  on  the  island. 

A  sharp  suspicion  flashed  over  him  that  they 


I4  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

were  on  his  trail,  and  had  tracked  him  to  the 
spot. 

His  alarm  was  not  lessened  by  what  he  heard 
passing  between  them. 

"  The  little  cub  surely  came  this  way,"  said 
one,  "  for  his  tracks  show  that  very  plainly." 

"  He  must  be  hiding  somewhere,"  replied  his 
companion,  "  and  if  we  make  search  we  shall  be 
sure  to  find  him." 

Jack  could  not  doubt  who  the  person  was  that 
this  referred  to,  and  he  peered  stealthily  around 
to  see  whether  there  was  no  way  by  which  he 
could  effect  a  retreat  from  the  place. 

Nothing  inviting  offered. 

Meanwhile  the  conversation  continued,  with 
one  of  the  most  attentive  and  absorbed  audiences 
that  speaker  was  ever  favored  with. 

"  What  will  we  do  with  him  when  we  catch 
him?" 

"  We  told  him  if  he  ran  away  we  would  punish 
him  as  we  do  all  such  runaways.  We  will  put 
him  to  death,  but  not  as  we  would  have  done  had 
we  been  able  to  lay  hands  on  him  then." 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  " 

"  Put  him  in  the  cavern,  where  so  many  of  the 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  15 

men  that  have  come  here  have  been  put  and  never 
heard  of  again." 

"  That  will  be  good ;  he  will  have  time  to  think 
over  his  foolishness  in  running  away  from  us  as 
he  did." 

"  Then,  too,  we'll  soon  have  the  man,  and  he 
will  go  to  keep  him  company." 

"  It  will  be  more  pleasant  for  them  to  be  to- 
gether ;  they  will  have  occasions  to  talk  with  and 
console  each  other,  and  they  will  need  them,  too, 
when  they  fall  into  our  hands." 

The  reader  may  imagine  with  what  a  beating 
heart  Jack  Winch,  from  where  he  was  crouching 
in  the  corner,  listened  to  these  words. 

"  I  don't  know  as  there  is  much  use  looking  for 
him,"  said  the  one  who  had  first  spoken. 

"And  why  not?" 

"  He  is  already  in  our  hands,  for  he  cannot  es- 
cape ;  he  will  soon  come  into  our  camp,  and  with- 
out our  making  wearisome  search  for  him.  The 
lad  is  a  fool  to  venture  to  our  home  in  a  small 
boat  at  midday." 

Jack  Winch,  when  he  heard  this  remark, 
thought  it  was  as  truthful  an  utterance  as  he  had 
ever  listened  to. 


16  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

"  He  might  have  known  that  we  would  see 
him  all  the  time." 

"  Where  was  his  senses,  as  you  say,  in  believing 
that  he,  of  all  others,  could  come  into  the  place 
without  our  discovering  him  ?  We  know  that  the 
man  has  been  here." 

"  And  that  he  is  to  become  a  prisoner  of  ours. 
We  shall  have  him  within  the  next  half  hour." 

'  You  said  that  the  lad  was  in  hiding  some- 
where close  to  us.  Do  you  believe  that  it  is 
necessary  to  make  hunt  for  him?  " 

"  Why  do  that,  when  we  know  where  he  is  hid- 
'ing?" 

"Where  is  that?" 

"  A  few  yards  off,  just  behind  us,  where  we 
have  him  so  secure  that  he  cannot  get  away! " 

Young  as  Jack  Winch  was,  he  understood 
what  those  two  remarks  signified. 

These  outlaws  had  known  where  he  was  all  the 
time,  and  had  been  talking  in  his  hearing  for  their 
own  amusement. 

They  were  like  cats.  They  wished  to  toy  and 
trifle  with  their  mouse  before  crunching  his  bones. 

The  conviction  smote  the  lad,  with  the  first 
significant  comment,  that  the  men  had  followed 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  17 

him,  and  had  seen  him  crawl  into  the  place  which 
he  had  vainly  hoped  would  offer  him  safe,  conceal- 
ment until  the  danger  should  pass  by. 

So  well  satisfied  was  he  on  this  point  that  he 
abandoned  his  crouching  position  on  the  ground, 
and  sat  upright,  in  plain  view,  where,  the  moment 
the  two  should  turn,  they  would  see  him. 

Thus  he  waited  until  they  were  ready  to  claim 
him. 

He  was  not  kept  waiting  long,  for  only  a  few 
words  were  said  in  addition  to  those  already 
given,  when  the  outlaws  faced  about  and  stood 
for  a  minute  or  two  gazing  silently  at  him. 

There  could  be  no  doubt  that  this  was  the  kind 
of  a  triumph  they  enjoyed. 

Jack  could  see  that  they  were  grinning  at  his 
discomfiture. 

He  sat  still  and  looked  here,  there,  and  every- 
where. 

He  was  resolved  that  they  should  be  the  first 
to  break  silence. 

There  was  no  possibility  of  escaping,  and  he 
therefore  did  not  make  the  attempt. 

When  the  two  villains  had  grinned  until  they 


1 8  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

were  satisfied,  they  walked  slowly  toward  the  lad, 
and  one  motioned  him  to  rise. 

Jack,  as  a  matter  of  course,  obeyed  without 
any  sullenness. 

Then  the  tallest  approached  still  closer  and  laid 
his  hand  on  his  head  in  a  patronizing  way. 

"  Why  did  you  run  away?  " 

"  I  wanted  to  go  to  my  friends,  and  they 
wanted  me  to  come  to  them." 

"  If  you  had  staid  with  us  we  would  have  let 
you  go." 

This  assertion  agreed  with  the  theory  of  Al- 
fredo that  the  lad  was  stolen  for  the  purpose  of 
ransom. 

"  You  didn't  tell  me  that,"  replied  Jack,  hoping 
to  conciliate  the  men,  who  were  talking  in  kinder 
tones  than  they  had  formerly  used  toward  him. 

"  But  we  told  you  that  if  you  tried  to  run  away 
we  would  kill  you." 

The  young  prisoner  could  not  deny  this. 

He  therefore  remained  silent  while  the  ruffian 
continued. 

"  We  always  keep  our  word,  as  you  would 
have  found  if  you  had  staid  with  us.  When  we 
found  you  on  the  beach,  we  said  to  ourselves: 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  19 

*  Here  is  a  fair-faced  boy,  whose  friends  will  pay 
gold  to  get  him  back  again.'  So  we  took  you 
away,  and  if  they  had  not  come  forward  with  the 
gold  we  would  have  let  you  go ;  but  you  chose  to 
run  away  and  you  must  take  the  consequences  of 
doing  wrong." 

"  I  don't  think  I  was  wrong,"  was  the  apology 
the  lad  made,  "  for  you  had  no  right  to  take  me 
away.  I  had  not  done  you  any  wrong,  and  when 
you  stole  me  I  had  the  right  to  try  and  get  back 
to  my  friends." 

These  were  brave  words  for  such  a  little  fellow 
to  say  to  such  characters;  but  they  could  not  in- 
jure him,  as  he  had  been  told  that  his  fate  was 
already  determined,  and  nothing  could  be  said  or 
done  to  change  it  either  way. 

His  words  and  explanations  were  thrown  away 
upon  such  scamps  as  stood  before  him. 

It  was  the  fable  of  the  lamb  talking  to  the 
wolf. 

"  We  own  this  country,"  was  the  blustering 
response  of  one  of  the  outlaws,  "  and  all  that  come 
into  it  must  first  get  our  permission." 

"  Did  you  get  permission  from  any  one." 

"  Yes." 


20  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

"  Do  you  know  where  your  father  is  ?  " 

"  He  is  at  Panama,"  was  the  answer  of  Jack, 
who  did  not  see  that  they  had  made  a  blunder. 

"  We  mean  him  that  was  with  you." 

"  Oh !  he's  my  uncle;  I  s'pose  he's  over  on  the 
land  somewhere.  I  haven't  seen  him  since  last 
night." 

"  We'll  soon  have  him  here,  for  he  will  look 
for  you,  and  when  he  does  that,  then  we  shall 
have  him  sure.  I  s'pose  you  would  like  to  have 
him  with  you." 

"  I  don't  know  whether  I  would  or  not,"  said 
Jack,  who  was  truthful  in  thus  referring  to  his 
quandary. 

"  Well,  you  can  come  along  with  us,  and  then 
we  will  go  out  or  send  some  one  to  hunt  him  up." 

As  he  spoke  he  led  the  way  toward  the  interior 
of  the  island,  the  lad  following  obediently  after 
them. 

He  looked  around  as  he  picked  his  way  along 
to  see  whether  there  was  any  possible  chance  of 
giving  them  the  slip. 

But,  naturally  ardent  and  hopeful  as  he  was, 
he  could  not  detect  the  slightest  opportunity  that 
could  tempt  him  to  make  an  effort. 


THE  LAND.  .OF  WONDERS^ 


21 


"Who  was  it?" 

"  My  father." 

The  two  men  laughed  at  this  unexpected  reply. 

"  Your  father  hasn't  anything  to  do  with  this 
part  of  Mexico;  it  belongs  to  us.  And  beside 
that,  we  might  have  allowed  him  to  pass  through 
without  questioning  if  he  hadn't  persisted  in  com- 
ing to  the  Haunted  Island  after  being  warned." 

"  Who  warned  him  away?  " 

"  Vega ;  he  had  heard  of  the  place  and  knew  all 
about  it  before  he  came  in  sight  of  it  a  few  days 
ago.  Shall  I  tell  you  a  truth  about  the  Haunted 
Island  ?  "  asked  the  outlaw,  stooping  down  and 
peering  into  the  face  of  the  lad  with  a  significant 
expression. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  answer. 

"  No  visitor  to  the  Haunted  Island  has  ever 
gone  away  again,  and  what  is  more,  no  visitor 
ever  will." 

There  could  be  no  doubt  what  these  awful 
words  meant. 

Although  Jack  had  expected  it  from  the  be- 
ginning, yet  the  announcement  caused  him  a 
shiver  of  horror  as  it  fell  upon  his  ear. 

He  said  nothing,  but  stood  still  with  his  eyes 
resting  on  the  ground,  awaiting  their  pleasure. 


CHAPTER  III 

COMPANIONS   IN    MISERY THE    TRIAL   AND   SEN- 
TENCE 

SCARCELY  half  an  hour  had  passed  after  the 
capture  of  Jack  Winch  when  his  uncle  landed  on 
the  Haunted  Island. 

Had  he  looked  behind  him,  he  would  have  dis- 
covered that  a  boat,  scarcely  larger  than  his  own, 
was  not  far  away,  and  the  single  man  whom  it 
held  was  only  a  few  minutes  later  in  effecting  a 
landing. 

Alfredo  penetrated  at  once  into  the  interior  of 
the  island. 

He  was  debating  his  best  course,  when  his  at- 
tention was  arrested  by  the  sound  of  trickling 
water,  similar  to  that  which  struck  his  ear  when 
in  the  cavern. 

Search  showed  that  it  was  near  by,  the  stream 
being  very  small,  while  the  spring  from  which 
it  issued  was  no  more  than  a  rod  away. 

22 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  23 

The  water  looked  so  clear  and  sparkling  that 
Alfredo  persuaded  himself  that  he  was  thirsty. 

Placing  his  gun  on  the  ground,  he  lay  down 
and  took  a  long  draught. 

There  was  nothing  worthy  of  note  in  this  very 
natural  proceeding,  but  when  he  rose  up  and 
reached  out  for  his  gun  it  wasn't  to  be  found ! 

He  suspected  the  truth,  and  instantly  sprang 
to  his  feet  and  attempted  to  draw  his  revolver. 

But  several  swarthy  forms  leaped  forward 
from  the  undergrowth  and  disarmed  him  before 
he  could  pull  the  trigger. 

He  had  been  captured  as  cleverly  as  it  could 
have  been  done,  being  taken  completely  off  his 
guard,  and  before  he  could  do  the  least  thing  in 
the  way  of  defending  himself. 

As  soon  as  he  was  pinioned  he  looked  about 
and  found  that  he  had  been  seized  and  bound  by 
three  as  villainous  scoundrels  as  ever  went  un- 
hung. 

There  was  the  gleam  of  exultation  and  triumph 
in  their  faces,  as  they  might  very  well  be  over  the 
exploit  they  had  performed. 

They  had  caught  the  man  and  boy  who  were 
presumptuous  enough  to  believe  they  could  place 


24  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

foot  on  the  Haunted  Island  and  then  go  away  to 
tell  of  it. 

Alfredo  said  nothing  at  all  when  he  realized  his 
situation,  for  he  knew  it  was  useless,  and  there 
was  a  certain  dignity  about  the  man  which  he 
could  not  forget  entirely  on  any  occasion. 

The  vagabonds  must  have  been  expecting  him, 
for  they  were  prepared,  and  he  was  no  sooner  re- 
ceived than  he  was  made  secure  by  being  deprived 
of  his  pistol  as  well  as  his  rifle,  while  his  arms 
were  fastened  together  at  the  back,  the  elbows 
being  united  by  the  strongest  of  buffalo-thongs. 
Thus  secured,  Alfredo  felt  as  though  his  situation 
was  as  desperate  as  it  could  be. 

When  his  captors  had  tied  and  retied,  and  made 
sure  the  prisoner  was  so  well  bound  that  he  could 
not  possess  the  least  possible  chance,  they  ven- 
tured to  address  him. 

"  No  one  can  come  to  the  Haunted  Island  and 
go  away  alive." 

"  There  you  are  wrong,"  was  the  reply  of  Al- 
fredo, "  for  I  was  here  within  the  past  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  went  away  again ;  and,  more  than 
that,  I  rode  in  your  own  canoe,  and  had  your 
own  people  to  paddle  me  ashore." 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  25 

As  these  two  Mexicans  were  in  the  boat  which 
carried  the  speaker  to  the  mainland,  they  could 
not  deny  the  truth  of  what  he  said. 

The  most  they  could  do  was  to  prevaricate  a 
little,  with  a  view  of  parrying  his  thrust 

"  The  fates  which  led  you  away  have  brought 
you  back  again,  and  here  you  will  stay — on  that 
you  may  depend." 

"  Perhaps  you  speak  the  truth,"  said  Alfredo, 
avoiding  everything  like  braggadocio  or  a  cring- 
ing spirit. 

"  There  is  no  perhaps  about  it ;  it  is  the  truth." 

"  God  rules,"  said  the  captive,  reverently ;  "  it 
is  not  for  man  to  say  what  shall  and  what  shall 
not  be." 

The  area  of  the  Haunted  Island  prevented  any 
very  lengthy  march,  and  they  needed  to  go  but  a 
short  distance  when  they  reached  the  end  of  their 
journey. 

This  was  in  a  place  as  near  the  center  of  the  is- 
land as  could  well  be.  There  was  a  small,  cleared 
space,  not  more  than  fifty  feet  broad,  inclosed  by 
a  circle  of  stones,  within  which  stood  and  leaned 
about  a  score  of  brigands  or  revolutionists. 

The  spot  was  overshadowed  by  shrubbery  and 


26 

vegetation,  and  in  the  middle  burned  a  small  fire, 
which  had  served  the  purpose  of  cooking  the 
noon-day  meal. 

Several  of  the  men  were  sitting  on  the  tops  of 
these  boulders,  and  on  one  of  them  sat  Jack 
Winch. 

The  instant  he  saw  his  uncle  he  leaped  down, 
and  running  forward,  threw  his  arms  about  the 
face  of  the  man,  and  kissed  and  cried  as  did  the 
prodigal  son. 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Frede,"  he  sobbed,  "  I  was  so  in 
hope  that  you  would  not  come  here.  I  told  them 
they  couldn't  get  you,  though  they  tried  to  make 
me  think  they  had  you  already." 

The  tears  trickled  down  the  cheeks  of  Alfredo, 
and  he  could  not  dash  them  aside,  as  he  was  de- 
prived of  the  command  of  his  hands. 

"  Keep  up  a  brave  heart,  Jack,"  said  he;  "  we 
have  been  in  bad  situations  before,  and  God  has 
never  forsaken  us.  He  will  not  desert  us  now." 

There  was  a  sincerity  in  these  words  which  did 
much  to  encourage  the  boy,  and  which  could  not 
fail  to  impress  the  brigands  themselves. 

They  looked  stoically  on,  but  said  nothing,  and 
made  no  essay  to  interfere. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  27 

Alfredo  was  hungry,  and  he  knew  the  boy 
must  be,  unless  he  had  already  been  fed. 

Finding  that  he  had  received  no  nourishment, 
the  uncle  asked  that  he  might  be  provided  with 
some. 

There  was  no  response. 

There  was  food  within  sight  of  the  prisoners, 
who  were  known  to  be  in  sore  need  of  it,  and  yet 
no  one  offered  to  furnish  it  them. 

"  You  have  the  use  of  your  hands,"  said  the 
uncle,  addressing  the  nephew ;  "  therefore  do  you 
slip  over  and  eat  all  you  want." 

The  suggestion  was  acted  upon,  the  outlaws 
offering  no  opposition. 

Jack  made  sur e  lie  had  enough,  not  only  for 
himself,  but  for  Alfredo  as  well,  and  he  lost  no 
time  in  feeding  it  to  him. 

This  course  was  necessary,  as  the  hands  of  the 
man  had  not  been  freed. 

While  the  novel  proceeding  was  under  way,  the 
Mexicans  looked  sullenly  on,  and  one  of  them 
made  some  remark  to  a  companion  which  caused 
him  to  watch  the  proceedings  more  closely,  and 
to  grin  as  though  there  was  something  very  hu- 
morous about  it. 


28  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

As  it  was,  the  prisoners  secured  a  good  sub- 
stantial dinner,  during  which  Alfredo  encouraged 
his  young  friend  with  the  belief  that  there  was 
some  slight  hope  for  them.  He  had  a  project  in 
mind. 

This  group  of  outlaws  were  assembled  for  the 
most  serious  kind  of  business. 

They  were  so  well  acquainted  beforehand  with 
the  movements  of  Alfredo  and  Jack  Winch,  that 
they  unhesitatingly  met  together  in  the  manner 
mentioned  to  receive  and  pass  judgment  upon  the 
prisoners. 

The  singular  meal  was  no  more  than  finished 
when  the  trial  began. 

This  was  of  the  briefest  and  most  summary 
character. 

The  leader  informed  the  adult  captive  that  it 
had  been  a  law  among  them  for  years  that  every 
person  found  trespassing  upon  the  Haunted  Is- 
land should  be  punished  with  death. 

They  could  not  accept  the  plea  of  ignorance, 
for,  if  once  admitted,  it  would  be  always  used 
against  them. 

Such  being  the  situation,  Alfredo  was  asked 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  29 

whether  he  had  anything  to  say  why  judgment 
should  not  be  passed  upon  him. 

What  could  he  reply? 

Jack  was  sure  he  could  only  bow  his  head  in 
silent  submission. 

But,  without  any  trepidation  or  appearance  of 
fear,  Alfredo  Alfiero  made  this  proposition: 

That  the  outlaws  should  be  paid  a  heavy  ran- 
som on  condition  of  setting  both  their  prisoners 
free. 

He  named  a  large  sum,  in  the  hope  of  exciting 
their  cupidity,  and  explained  how  it  would  be 
placed  in  their  hands  without  the  least  personal 
peril  to  them. 

The  proposition  was  an  honest  one,  for  he  who 
made  it  was  abundantly  able  to  carry  out  all  its 
provisions. 

The  leaders  withdrew  a  short  distance,  as  if  for 
consultation. 

At  the  end  of  ten  minutes  or  so,  they  came 
back  and  refused  his  proffer. 

Alfredo  was  prepared  for  this,  and  he  immedi- 
ately increased  it,  naming  a  sum  which  might 
have  tempted  a  prince. 


30  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

To  his  dismay,  this  was  not  even  considered  as 
was  the  other. 

They  did  not  withdraw,  nor  did  they  exchange 
a  word  upon  it. 

Alfredo  thought  that  perhaps  they  believed  he 
did  not  possess  the  ability  to  carry  out  his  own 
proposition. 

He  therefore  devoted  a  few  minutes  to  demon- 
strating that  he  was  able  to  do  all  that  he  prom- 
ised, and  he  showed  how  it  could  be  managed  in 
such  a  way  that  the  advantage  would  be  entirely 
on  the  side  of  the  Mexicans. 

The  leader  then  explained  that  if  all  this  had 
taken  place  on  the  mainland,  the  offer  would 
probably  be  accepted. 

But  the  man  who  managed  to  reach  Haunted 
Island  necessarily  secured  more  knowledge  than 
was  safe  for  him  to  carry  away. 

That  was  the  reason  for  the  law  that  no  one 
discovered  upon  it  should  ever  be  allowed  to 
leave  it. 

The  fact  that  Alfredo  had  succeeded  in  doing 
so  in  one  instance  was  the  first  exception  that  had 
ever  occurred. 

The  pledges  of  the  captive  that   their   secret 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  31 

should  be  kept  were  received  with  dubious  shakes 
of  the  head. 

Self-preservation  forbade  they  should  run  any 
such  risk. 

The  decree,  therefore,  was  that  the  two  prison- 
ers should  be — put  to  death ! 


CHAPTER  IV, 

CARRYING  OUT  THE  SENTENCE 

THE  outlaws  having  decreed  that  their  prison- 
ers— Alfredo  Alfiero  and  Jack  Winch — should 
die,  it  was  left  for  the  latter  to  take  their  choice 
between  drowning,  shooting  or  starving. 

Alfredo  inquired  by  what  means  the  starvation 
was  carried  out. 

The  leading  bandit  replied  that  they  lowered 
the  condemned  into  a  cavern,  so  deep  that  there 
was  no  possibility  of  escape  therefrom,  and  then 
left  them. 

This  method  had  been  adopted  in  several  cases. 

It  was  natural  that  Alfredo,  after  his  experi- 
ence on  this  island,  should  accept  the  proposition 
of  starving  to  death. 

He  was  not  without  a  faint  hope  that  they 
would  be  placed  in  the  same  cavern  from  which  he 
had  made  his  escape. 

3* 


THE  LAND  OF.  WONDERS  33 

At  any  rate,  the  proposition  deferred  death  for 
a  time. 

"  Go  into  the  cavern"  whispered  Jack,  stepping 
close  to  him. 

"  The  boy  prefers  to  enter  the  cavern,"  said  Al- 
fredo, as  though  the  whispered  words  of  the  lad 
had  settled  the  debate  going  on  in  his  mind,  "  so 
we  will  accept  that." 

The  prisoners  having  decided,  there  was  no  un- 
necessary delay  in  carrying  out  the  sentence. 

One  hundred  yards  from  where  the  court  had 
sat,  the  mouth  of  the  cavern  was  reached. 

This  entrance  was  no  more  than  a  yard  in  di- 
ameter, and  looking  down,  nothing  but  blank 
awful  darkness  met  the  eye. 

Alfredo's  arms  were  still  fastened  behind  him 
at  the  elbows,  and  he  asked  that  they  might  be  re- 
leased, as  the  thongs  pained  him;  but  the  request 
was  refused. 

"  Let  me  go  down  first,"  said  the  boy. 

"  No,  it  is  proper  that  I  should  go  down 
first,"  said  his  uncle,  kindly. 

The  buffalo-rope,  of  immense  length,  was 
fastened  to  both,  and  preparations  made  to  lower 
them  into  the  pit  together. 


34 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 


A  horrible  suspicion  flashed  upon  Alfredo  that 
they  intended  to  cut  the  rope  after  starting  them 
downward,  so  as  to  cause  them  to  be  dashed  to 
pieces  on  the  rocks  far,  far  below. 

No  words  can  describe  the  awful  emotions  of 
the  two  prisoners  when  at  last  the  rope  was  fast- 
ened to  them,  and  they  were  swung  over  the  black 
abyss. 

Swinging  thus  in  the  breathless  darkness,  man 
and  boy  were  slowly  lowered  into  the  bowels  of 
the  earth. 

The  depth  might  be  fifty  or  five  hundred  feet. 
The  bottom  of  the  yawning  pit  might  be  water  or 
hard  rock. 

"  Are  you  there?  "  asked  Alfredo,  when  the  two 
were  separated  for  a  few  minutes. 

:'  Yes.  Don't  you  feel  me  ?  "  asked  Jack,  with  a 
cheeriness  wonderful  in  one  of  his  years. 

"  Keep  a  good  heart ;  we  shall  reach  bottom  one 
of  these  days,  and  then  there  may  be  a  chance  for 
us  to  do  something." 

"  S'posing  there  ain't  any  bottom  to  it  ?  "  sug- 
gested the  lad. 

"  That  cannot  be." 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  35 

"  It  may  go  through  the  earth  to  the  other  side 
of  the  world." 

"  Then  we  will  come  out  somewhere  in  the 
neighborhood  of  China ;  but  there  is  no  possibility 
of  that." 

"  Can  you  tell  me  how  fast  we  are  going?  " 

"  That  is  impossible,  but  they  began  quite  rap- 
idly, and  they  will  be  likely  to  keep  it  up  till  we 
reach  something  to  stand  on.  Hark!  " 

Out  of  this  solemn  murmur  could  be  detected  a 
faint,  grating  sound  above  their  heads. 

"What  is  that?"  asked  Jack. 

"  That  is  the  friction  of  the  rope  on  the  edge  of 
the  opening." 

"  S'posing  it  wears  off?  " 

"Then  our  troubles  will  end  very  quickly." 

Both  looked  up,  but  nothing  could  be  seen  but 
the  orifice  through  which  they  were  being  low- 
ered info  the  unknown  depth  of  the  cavern. 

The  opening  looked  small,  like  the  dim  moon 
when  discerned  through  the  clouds  on  a  misty 
night. 

"  They  haven't  left  us  our  guns,"  said  Jack, 
whose  mind,  perhaps  naturally  enough,  was  filled 
with  the  wildest  ideas  of  escape. 


36  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

"And  what  of  that  ?  Of  what  use  could  a  gun 
be  to  us  in  such  a  world  of  night  as  we  are  enter- 
ing?" 

"  There  may  be  wild  animals  there  that  we  can 
shoot." 

"  Ah,  no,"  said  his  uncle,  sadly.  "  That  cannot 
be ;  in  such  a  region  as  this  no  living  thing  can  ex- 
ist." 

"  Then  how  are  we  to  live  ?  "  was  the  horrified 
inquiry  of  the  lad. 

"  We  are  in  the  hands  of  Heaven,"  was  the 
gentle  reply;  for  Alfredo  felt  unequal  to  the  task 
of  breaking  the  heart  of  the  boy  just  yet. 

Let  him  wait  before  the  whole  frightful  truth 
should  dawn  upon  him.  He  must  learn  it  soon 
enough. 

"  They  didn't  untie  your  arms,  did  they?  "  con- 
tinued the  little  fellow. 

"  No ;  I  asked  them,  but  they  refused.  It  mat- 
ters not,  however." 

"  Wait  till  we  stop  and  then  I  will  fix  that  all 
right.  I  have  the  use  of  my  hands,  and  there  is 
my  jackknife  in  my  pocket." 

"  That  will  be  all  we  want,"  said  Alfredo,  de- 


"  SWINGING  THUS  IN   THE  BREATHLESS  DARKNESS,  MAN  AND  BOY  WERE 
SLOWLY   LOWERED  INTO  THE  BOWELS  OF  THE   EARTH."— PAGE  34. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  37 

termined  to  keep  up  as  good  a  heart  as  did  the 
boy. 

"  Don't  they  hurt  you — I  mean  the  ropes  that 
they  have  used  to  tie  you  fast  ?  " 

"  They  don't  feel  very  comfortable,  but  I  can 
stand  it  very  well  till  we  reach  the  ground  be- 
low." 

The  grating  sound  which  they  had  noticed 
from  the  first  kept  growing  fainter  till  it  was 
hardly  audible. 

They  were  getting  well  down  into  the  bowels 
of  the  earth. 

It  was  difficult  work  to  make  suitable  answers 
to  the  questions  of  Jack,  who  was  still  scarcely  a 
moment. 

He  asked  all  sorts  of  outlandish  things,  and  re- 
peated them  till  his  companion  made  some  kind  of 
a  reply. 

The  Mexicans,  in  tying  the  lad,  did  it  in  such  a 
manner  that  he  was  as  much  at  ease  as  was  possi- 
ble, and  he  was  without  that  awful  depression  of 
spirits  which  almost  forced  the  life  out  the  body 
of  the  man. 

As  the  distance  increased,  the  bodies  of  both 
began  to  rotate,  slowly  at  first,  but  soon  with  a 


38  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

speed  which  became  so  annoying  that  Alfredo 
called  out : 

"  Throw  your  arms  around  me  and  see  whether 
that  won't  stop  us." 

The  boy  did  as  requested,  and  the  plan  was 
found  to  work  well. 

They  soon  became  stationary,  so  far  as  the  re- 
volving movement  was  concerned. 

More  than  once  Alfredo  regretted  that  he  had 
not  chosen  the  other  alternative  of  execution  by 
the  gun  or  the  strangling  water. 

There  would  have  been  but  the  single  brief 
struggle,  and  all  would  have  been  over. 

Had  he  possessed  the  hardihood  to  choose  that, 
all  prolonged  misery  would  have  been  averted. 

Ere  this  they  would  have  been  enjoying  the  last 
eternal  sleep. 

But  regrets  were  useless,  and  he  prayed  that  he 
might  teach  the  noble  little  fellow  to  meet  the  in- 
evitable like  a  man. 

Jack  Winch  had  been  silent  several  minutes  be- 
fore his  uncle  noticed  it. 

At  last  he  asked : 

"  What  makes  you  so  quiet  ?  " 

"  Do  you  know  what  I  think  ?  " 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  39 

"No;  what  is  it?" 

"  We  ain't  going  lower;  they  have  been  holding 
us  still  for  some  time!  " 

"  How  long  since  you  noticed  it?  " 

"  Quite  a  while." 

"  What  makes  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  'Cause  you  can't  hear  anything  more  of  that 
rope." 

"  That  may  be  because  we  are  so  low  down." 

"  No,  that  ain't  it.  I  was  listening  to  it  a  while 
ago,  when  it  stopped  all  at  once.  I  noticed  it  right 
away,  and  was  waiting  for  it  to  start  again." 

Alfredo  listened  some  time  and  became  con- 
vinced that  Jack  was  right. 

The  downward  movement  had  stopped. 

The  length  of  the  rope  was  reached,  and  they 
could  go  no  lower  with  its  help. 

Here  was  as  frightful  a  quandary  as  imagina- 
tion can  depict. 

Suspended  in  midair,  like  wretched  aeronauts 
by  midnight,  unable  to  tell  whether  the  earth  was 
within  a  few  rods  or  whether  it  was  a  mile  below 
them. 

And  there  was  no  means  of  learning  the  truth. 

Was  there  anything  they  could  do  to  end  the 
awful  suspense? 


CHAPTER  V 

IN    THE    CAVERN UNDERGROUND  EXPLORATIONS 

THERE  was  a  faint  hope  that  the  stoppage  in 
the  descent  was  only  temporary,  and  that  the 
bandits  would  soon  resume  the  lowering  of  the 
prisoners  into  the  cavern. 

Alfredo  told  Jack  to  wait  and  listen  for  the 
grating  of  the  cord  against  the  rocks  above  their 
heads. 

"  Put  your  ear  against  the  rope,"  said  he,  "  and 
if  they  begin  it  again  you  will  hear  better." 

Both  did  this,  but  the  stillness  was  not  dis- 
turbed in  the  least,  and  the  conclusion  was  inevit- 
able that  they  had  reached  the  limit  of  their  re- 
spective ropes. 

"  Can  you  see  anything  of  the  opening?  "  asked 
Alfredo,  peering  upward  through  the  gloom. 

"It  looks  like  the  moon  up  there ;  very  faint,  but 
I  can  see  it." 

"  Hark! "  whispered  his  uncle;  "  I  think  some 

one  called." 

40 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  41 

Both  listened  attentively,  and,  sure  enough,  the 
voice  of  one  of  the  desperadoes  was  heard  coming 
down  to  them  from  the  sunlight  and  life  of  the 
earth  above. 

"Jump!"  was  the  first  word  that  was  distin- 
guished, followed  instantly  by  the  others ;  "  we 
have  reached  the  end  of  the  rope!  " 

These  were  awful  words,  indeed,  and  they  sent 
a  shiver  of  horror  through  man  and  boy. 

The  former  felt  no  doubt  that  the  thing  had 
been  arranged  from  the  beginning.  They  always 
let  their  prisoners  down  in  this  manner,  until  they 
reached  such  a  point,  when  they  were  left  to  them- 
selves. 

The  command  to  jump  was  a  strange  one,  in- 
asmuch as  they  were  not  holding  on  by  their 
hands,  but  were  tied  in  such  a  way  that  they  were 
not  at  liberty  to  do  anything  for  themselves. 

"Jack,"  said  Alfredo,  "you  have  the  use  of  your 
hands,  and  you  told  me  a  while  ago  that  your 
knife  was  in  your  pocket;  take  it  out  and  cut 
these  thongs  that  hold  my  arms." 

"  Why  didn't  you  tell  me  to  do  that  before?  " 
asked  the  lad,  as  he  complied.  "  I  might  as  well 
have  done  it  as  not." 


4»  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

The  buffalo  thongs  are  among  the  toughest  in 
the  world,  and  the  sharpest  knife  has  great  diffi- 
culty in  severing  one  of  them. 

But  Jack  was  working  more  for  love  than  any- 
thing else,  and  he  persevered  until  the  arms  of  his 
uncle  were  once  more  free. 

'  There !  "  said  the  man,  with  a  sigh  of  relief ; 
"  I  feel  like  a  new  person,  though  I'm  a  little 
cramped." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  now  ?  " 

'  They  can't  lower  us  any  further,  and  we 
might  as  well  jump." 

"  But  it  may  be  a  hundred  feet !  "  said  the  hor- 
rified Jack. 

"  I  can't  help  that.  Lend  me  your  knife  a  min- 
ute." 
The  implement  was  passed  over. 

As  soon  as  it  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Al- 
fredo, he  began  cutting  the  thong  around  his 
waist,  so  that  when  he  was  ready  he  could  allow 
himself  to  drop. 

This  done,  he  told  Jack  that  he  meant  to  do  the 
same  thing  for  him. 

The  little  fellow  made  no  objection,  for  he  be- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  43 

lieved  that  whatever  his  uncle  did  could  not  but  be 
right. 

"  Now,  hold  on,"  admonished  Alfredo,  "  and 
don't  let  go  till  I  tell  you  you  may  do  so." 

"  All  right;  I  will  do  as  you  tell  me." 

The  task  was  one  of  the  most  fearful  of  Al- 
fredo's life. 

He  was  compelled  to  let  go  and  fall  downward, 
no  one  could  guess  how  far. 

Imagination,  left  to  itself,  conjured  up  all  sorts 
of  horrible  visions  of  what  was  before  him. 

He  saw  themselves  spinning  downward 
through  the  blackened  abyss,  striking  the  crags, 
and  bounding  from  side  to  side,  until  they  reached 
the  bottom,  hundreds  of  feet  below,  shapeless 
masses  of  what  had  once  been  human  beings. 

While  these  and  other  horrid  visions  were 
seething  through  the  brain  of  the  man,  he  so  far 
forgot  himself  as  to  loosen  his  grasp. 

The  first  warning  he  received  was  the  slipping 
of  the  thong  through  his  hands. 

He  attempted  to  recover  himself  with  all  the 
desperate  power  at  his  command,  but  he  was  too 
near  the  end  of  the  thong,  and  was  unable  to  do 
so. 


44 

While  he  was  still  striving,  with  the  cold  per- 
spiration streaming  from  every  pore,  the  rope 
passed  swiftly  through  his  closed  palms,  and  he 
dropped  downward  in  the  darkness. 

Alfredo  uttered  a  gasping  howl  of  terror,  like 
that  of  a  strong  man  when  seized  by  the  last  great 
conqueror  of  all. 

The  cry,  one  of  the  most  fearful  that  can  be 
heard,  rang  through  the  cavern,  and  before  Jack 
Winch  could  ask  his  uncle  what  the  matter  was, 
he  was  gone ! 

As  nearly  as  could  be  estimated,  Alfredo  fell 
about  six  feet. 

He  struck  in  an  upright  posture  and  did  not 
lose  his  balance,  nor  was  he  conscious  of  an  un- 
comfortable jar. 

It  took  him  about  five  minutes  before  he  could 
realize  his  deliverance  from  death. 

Then  he  called  out : 

"  Let  go,  Jack ;  there  isn't  anything  to  fear. 
You  are  close  to  the  bottom,  and  I  am  standing  on 
it." 

The  next  minute  there  was  a  dull  thump  and  the 
boy  was  at  his  side,  reaching  out  his  hand  and 
feeling  for  his  uncle. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  45 

"  Oh,  here  you  are,"  he  said,  as  he  grasped  his 
hand ;  "  I  can't  see  anything,  and  I  didn't  know 
where  to  feel  for  you." 

Alfredo  warmly  pressed  the  hand  of  the  boy, 
and  thanked  God  that  they  were  not  separated  as 
yet. 

Ay,  the  bottom  of  the  cavern  was  reached,  but 
the  question  remained  as  to  what  they  should  do. 

Here  they  were  in  a  world  of  darkness,  not 
knowing  which  way  to  turn  or  what  to  attempt  to 
do. 

They  were  impressed  by  that  deep,  solemn  still- 
ness which  reigned  here  as  it  had  doubtless 
reigned  for  thousands  of  years. 

Looking  upward,  they  were  able  to  catch  the 
faintest  glimmer  of  the  opening  over  their  heads. 

It  seemed  to  them  as  if  they  were  a  mile  from 
the  surface  of  the  earth. 

"  Hark !  "  whispered  Jack,  "  I  hear  something." 
'  You  seem  to  possess  keener  ears  than  I  do ;  I 
haven't  noticed  anything,   so   tell   me   what   it 
sounds  like." 

"  Don't  you  hear  it?  It  is  the  noise  of  water." 

Now  that  it  was  mentioned,  Alfredo  was  able 


46  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

to  recognize  the  trickling  of  some  tiny  stream  or 
"  leak  "  near  at  hand. 

Recollecting  that  they  were  far  below  the  lake, 
it  seemed  to  him  that  it  was  more  likely  that  what 
they  heard  was  the  dropping  of  water  through  the 
rocks  which  formed  the  roof  of  the  cavern. 

"  Is  it  anything  to  be  scared  at?  "  asked  Jack, 
who  was  not  certain  how  the  matter  should  be 
looked  at. 

"  No,  I  cannot  say  that  it  is ;  it  would  be  a 
blessed  thing  for  us  if  the  whole  cavern  should  be- 
come filled  from  the  lake,  for  don't  you  see  that  it 
would  float  us  to  the  top,  and  we  might  swim 
out." 

"  It  don't  seem  to  me  that  there  would  be  much 
chance  for  that ;  I  think  the  water  would  come  in 
with  such  a  rush  that  it  would  bang  us  all  to 
pieces  against  the  rocks,  or  it  would  be  so  slow 
about  it  that  we  would  drown  before  it  would  do 
us  any  good." 

Alfredo  felt  that  this  was  a  very  sensible  view 
of  the  whole  thing,  though  he  said  nothing  to  that 
effect. 

"  We  both  have  matches  in  our  pockets,"  said 
the  man ;  "  let  us  hunt  for  wood,  and  it  will  be  a 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  47 

great  blessing  if  we  can  start  a  fire  down  here,  so 
that  we  can  find  use  for  our  eyes." 

In  saying  this,  Alfredo  Alfiero  named  the 
greatest  dread  which  he  had  experienced  since  the 
descent  into  the  cavern  commenced. 

It  was  the  dwelling  in  utter  darkness  until  the 
system  should  succumb  and  should  die  the  death 
of  agony  that  always  follows  such  unnatural  ex- 
istence. 

No  one  excepting  him  who  has  been  deprived 
of  the  wonderful  sunlight  of  Heaven  is  fitted  to 
appreciate  its  glory. 

It  requires  a  sick  man  to  value  health,  and  it  is 
the  prisoner  who  has  lingered  in  the  dungeon  for 
years  with  occasional  glimpses  of  the  golden  rays 
which  straggled  into  his  cell  who  can  realize  what 
he  has  lost.  Alfredo  believed  that  before  starva- 
tion should  come,  his  brain  would  yield  and  he 
would  become  a  raving  lunatic. 

And  that  end  was  what  he  dreaded  more  than 
all  others. 

Jack  was  as  eager  as  he  to  find  out  all  he  could 
about  the  great,  gloomy  place  in  which  he  ex- 
pected to  spend  a  few  days,  and  most  probably 
all  his  life. 


48  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

His  uncle  cautioned  him  to  be  careful  about 
tumbling  into  some  hole,  and  at  the  same  time  he 
joined  in  the  hunt  for  fuel. 

It  was  certainly  remarkable  that  while  they 
were  so  far  below  the  surface  of  the  earth  they 
were  in  such  a  dry  region. 

There  was  no  dampness  at  all,  and  the  only  evi- 
dence they  had  discovered  up  to  this  time  of  the 
presence  of  water  was  the  trickling  already  re- 
ferred to. 

The  bottom  of  the  cavern  was  mostly  rock, 
with  a  dry,  dusty  layer  in  some  places,  which 
seemed  to  have  been  drifting  for  years  through 
the  opening  above. 

The  floor  was  very  uneven,  and  it  required 
great  caution  in  moving  about,  to  prevent  severe 
bruises. 

Man  and  boy  kept  up  a  constant  communica- 
tion by  talking,  so  as  to  escape  the  danger  of  be- 
coming mutually  lost. 

It  would  be  a  terrible  fate,  indeed,  for  them  to 
lose  each  other  in  this  world,  where  the  only 
solace  was  in  being  together. 

"  Don't  move  too  fast,"  admonished  Alfredo, 
"  for  you  may  pass  over  the  very  things  for  which 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  49 

we  are  looking ;  feel  around  for  the  wood  at  every 
step  you  take." 

*'  How  could  wood  get  down  here?  "  was  the 
natural  question  of  the  boy,  and  which  the  man 
had  already  asked  himself  a  score  of  times. 

"  I  can't  understand  how  it  could  come  about 
myself,  but  it  may  be  for  all  that " 

"Hello,  I've  struck  something !"  called  out 
Jack,  as  his  foot  came  in  collision  with  some  hard 
substance. 

"  It  is  a  rock,  very  likely,"  said  his  uncle,  "  for 
they're  all  about  here,  but  it  may  be  something 
else." 

The  boy  was  stooping  over  and  examining  the 
object,  whatever  it  was. 

"  I  declare,"  said  he,  "  if  it  don't  feel  like  a  stick 
of  wood." 

"  Bring  it  to  me  and  let  me  see." 

It  was  strange  how  intense  the  interest  was  in 
this  question.  The  task  of  finding  fuel  had  be- 
come literally  -a  matter  of  life  and  death  to  them, 
and  neither  could  have  been  more  agitated  were 
the  question  whether  they  had  discovered  a  way 
out  of  the  cavern  into  freedom. 

Where  all  was  complete  and  utter  darkness,  it 


50  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

necessitated  some  groping  around  in  the  gloom, 
but  Alfredo  secured  the  object  after  some  fum- 
bling. 

As  soon  as  he  ran  his  hand  over  it  he  called  out : 

"  You  are  right,  Jack;  this  is  wood,  indeed." 

"Ain't  that  good?  I  wonder  if  there's  more  of 
it." 

"  There  is  reason  to  hope  so;  the  existence  of 
wood  having  been  proven,  it  only  remains  to  find 
it.  Hunt  very  carefully  close  to  where  you  found 
that." 

The  boy  was  already  down  on  his  hands  and 
knees,  feeling  here  and  there,  and  as  eager  as  if 
it  were  a  prize  of  untold  value  for  which  he  was 
hunting. 

"  Hello !  here's  another !  "  was  the  cry  that 
went  up  from  the  young  fellow  within  the  next 
five  minutes. 

"  No,"  was  the  incredulous  response  of  the 
man,  delighted  as  much  as  he,  "  it  cannot  be." 

"  You  just  see  what  that  is,"-  said  the  boy, 
handing  the  stick  up  to  his  friend,  who,  being  un- 
able to  see  where  it  was  approaching  him,  received 
the  end  in  his  open  mouth. 

"  Get  out !  "  he  exclaimed,  spitting  the  atoms 
away.  "  That  is  wood,  I  am  sure,  for  I  tasted  it." 


CHAPTER  VI 

AN  IMPRESSIVE  SIGHT NEW   DISCOVERIES 

WHERE  the  wood  came  from  was  as  great  a 
mystery  to  the  two  as  was  the  presence  of  the  ap- 
ple within  the  dumpling  to  the  king. 

But  it  was  there,  and  that  was  sufficient. 

They  gathered  all  they  could  find,  and  then  pre- 
pared to  start  the  fire. 

The  wood  was  dry,  and  seemed  to  be  pieces 
broken  off  some  tree  and  cast  down  through  the 
opening. 

With  Jack's  knife  a  lot  of  whittlings  were 
made,  and  when  all  was  ready  the  match  was  ig- 
nited. 

A  little  careful  nursing  speedily  fanned  the 
flame  into  a  blaze,  which  increased  until  there  was 
a  good  roaring  fire,  which  threw  its  glare  for  a 
long  distance  through  the  gloom. 

When  this  was  done,  man  and  boy  rose  to  their 
feet,  and  with  the  most  inquiring  interest  looked 
around  in  the  darkness  illumined  by  this  flame, 
5' 


52  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

the  first,  perhaps,  that  was  ever  kindled  within  the 
cavern.  There  was  not  a  great  deal  to  see. 

Here  and  there  the  jaggy  points  of  some  rock 
were  detected  thrusting  themselves  into  the  light, 
while,  like  the  iceberg,  the  greatest  portion  of 
them  receded  into  invisibility. 

Looking  aloft,  the  same  feature  was  observed. 

There  were  patches  of  black  rock  visible,  but 
the  greater  part  was  so  far  off  in  the  gloom  that 
the  light  of  the  fagots  failed  to  reach  and  reveal 
them. 

The  floor  of  the  cavern  was  just  as  irregular  as 
the  roof. 

Had  the  two  advanced  but  a  short  ways  fur- 
ther, they  would  have  stumbled  over  some  rough 
splinters  that  seemed  to  have  fallen  from  the  roof 
above. 

Peering  as  far  as  the  eye  could  penetrate,  there 
was  little  to  be  gained  of  the  size  and  general 
shape  of  the  cavern. 

They  were  unable  to  tell  even  in  what  direction 
it  extended,  or  its  probable  length  and  breadth. 

While  they  stood  turning  around  and  staring 
toward  every  point  of  the  compass,  it  was  noticed 
that  the  fire  was  beginning  to  die  out. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  53 

Jack  was  the  first  to  notice  and  call  attention  to 
it. 

Alfredo  threw  the  last  stick  on  it. 
"  When  that  is  burned,"  said  he,  "  we  shall  have 
to  take  the  darkness  again  for  our  portion." 

"  Let's  see  whether  we  can't  find  some  more 
wood  while  we  have  the  light  to  look  for  it." 

The  suggestion  was  acted  on,  each  taking  a 
torch  from  the  fire  and  moving  about  in  the  gloom 
in  quest  of  more  of  the  fuel  which  had  proven 
such  a  godsend  to  them. 

They  were  disappointed  in  finding  the  wood, 
but  they  discovered  something  else. 

There  were  bones,  and  the  fragments  of  cloth- 
ing, here  and  there,  that  must  have  been  left  by 
those  who  had  perished  here  in  the  years  past. 

Most  of  them  were  so  far  decayed  that  there 
was  scarcely  any  semblance  of  humanity  left. 

When  touched  they  crumbled  like  ashes,  and 
were  most  impressive  lessons,  indeed,  of  the  decay 
of  human  life. 

Alfredo  came  upon  one  which  startled  him. 

Holding  his  torch  above  his  head,  he  looked 
down  on  a  face  so  fresh  and  fair  that  it  was  easy 
to  believe  the  breath  of  life  had  just  departed. 


54 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 


The  countenance  was  a  handsome  one,  and  evi- 
dently that  of  a  military  officer,  who  was  young 
in  years. 

The  features  were  regular,  the  nose  Roman, 
the  mustache  black  and  of  a  silken  texture,  and 
the  contour  of  the  face  classic  in  its  regularity. 

Around  the  high,  white  forehead  clustered  a 
mass  of  black  curls,  the  military  cap  having  fallen 
to  the  ground  beside  him. 

The  posture  of  the  man  was  suggestive  of  sleep 
rather  than  of  death. 

He  was  lying  partly  on  one  side,  with  an  arm 
under  his  head,  just  as  many  persons  do  when 
asleep,  and  the  rest  of  his  body  and  limbs  were 
disposed  in  the  same  easy  positions. 

While  the  two  friends  paused  in  silent  survey 
of  the  impressive  picture,  it  was  noticed  that 
something  was  in  the  right  hand. 

Alfredo  stooped  over  and  brought  it  forth  from 
between  the  rigid  fingers. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Jack. 

"  A  picture,"  was  the  softened  reply,  as  his  un- 
cle stooped  down  and  held  the  torch  in  front  of 
the  treasure,  so  that  the  boy  might  contemplate  it 
as  well  as  himself. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  55 

It  was  a  small,  oval  painting  of  a  little  girl, 
with  a  face  of  wonderful  beauty,  suggesting  in  its 
marvelous  loveliness  some  of  the  pictures  of  the 
old  masters,  wherein  are  seen  the  countenances  of 
the  angels  and  the  glorified. 

Man  and  boy  remained  for  a  long  time  bending 
over  the  painting,  and  contemplating  it  in  silence. 

Alfredo  thought  that  he  could  see  a  resem- 
blance to  the  face  of  the  body  on  the  ground,  and 
the  belief  came  to  him  that  the  representation  was 
of  a  little  child  of  the  dead  man. 

Though  he  died  in  the  darkness,  where  he 
could  see  nothing,  yet  he  held  the  picture  before 
him,  where,  had  there  come  but  a  single  ray  of 
light,  he  would  have  caught  sight  of  it. 

Perhaps,  in  the  last  dread  moment,  there  did 
come  such  a  torch  which,  with  its  illumination, 
showed  not  only  the  features  of  the  beauteous  lit- 
tle girl  but  that  of  others  awaiting  him  on  the 
other  shore. 

Else  why  were  those  features  of  the  man  over- 
spread with  such  a  heavenly  calm  ? 

The  little  painting  was  one  of  exquisite  loveli- 
ness, and  Alfredo  reverently  closed  the  case  and 
placed  it  away  in  his  pocket,  intending  to  carry  it 


56  THE  LAND  OF.  WONDERS, 

with  him  should  he  be  permitted  to  leave  the 
cavern. 

"  Is  he  dead  ?  "  asked  Jack,  looking  doubtingly 
at  the  body  on  the  ground. 

"  Of  course.    Why  do  you  ask  the  question  ?  " 

"  I  thought  I  saw  him  move." 

"  It  could  not  be." 

And  bending  over  him,  Alfredo  grasped  the 
arm  and  shook  it  quite  vigorously. 

It  crumbled  like  ashes ! 

The  transformation  was  so  extraordinary  that 
it  seemed  like  some  piece  of  enchantment. 

Prompted  by  a  strange  impulse,  Alfredo  placed 
his  hand  upon  the  face,  which  immediately  gave 
way  and  lost  all  semblance  of  humanity! 

"  It  surpasses  anything  I  ever  saw !  "  gasped 
the  man,  drawing  back  with  a  feeling  akin  to  hor- 
ror. 

"What  was  the  cause  of  it?  " 

"  It  must  have  been  dead  a  long  time,  perhaps 
for  years.  The  climate  in  this  cavern  has  pre- 
served it  in  that  form,  as  it  might  have  staid  for 
years  to  come  had  we  not  disturbed  it.  There  was 
no  draft  of  air,  no  beating  of  the  rain  or  storm  to 
injure  it,  and  but  for  our  visit  it  might  be  found 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  57 

centuries  hence  precisely  as  we  saw  it  a  few  min- 
utes ago." 

"  But  what  about  the  picture  ?  " 

"  Time  can  scarcely  affect  that.  The  colors 
would  not  become  dim  for  many  generations." 

"  It  looks  as  if  it  might  have  been  his  daugh- 
ter," said  Jack,  speaking  in  a  hushed  voice,  as  a 
boy  will  do  when  greatly  impressed  with  fear  or 
awe. 

"  I  think  I  saw  a  resemblance  in  their  faces,  but 
it  is  hard  to  tell  whether  there  is  such,  when  one  is 
a  picture  and  the  other  a  dead  body.  Whoever  she 
was,  it  is  certain  she  was  dearly  loved  by  the 
man." 

"  Maybe  we  can  find  the  girl  when  we  get  back 
to  Vera  Cruz." 

Pathos  and  humor  follow  so  closely  upon  each 
other,  that  Alfredo  laughed  to  himself  at  the  ab- 
surd suggestions  made  by  the  remark  of  the  lad. 

In  the  first  place,  if  the  original  of  the  portrait 
was  living,  she  was  certainly  a  woman  grown. 

Secondly,  what  warrant  had  Jack  for  suppos- 
ing that  they  would  ever  see  Vera  Cruz  again  ? 

The  two  had  been  put  into  this  cavern  that  they 
might  die,  and  here  was  Jack  talking  as  if  they 


S8  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

had  merely  halted  for  a  little  pleasure  on  their 
way  to  Vera  Cruz. 

His  remark  was  such  as  to  show  that  he  held 
not  the  least  doubt  that  they  would  reach  there  in 
due  time. 

Alfredo  did  not  choose  to  correct  him. 

It  was  a  great  thing  if  the  little  fellow  could 
keep  up  his  courage  at  such  a  fearful  time,  and  he 
was  glad  to  see  these  signs  of  it. 

Alfredo  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  tell  Jack 
all  the  thoughts  that  passed  through  his  mind  re- 
garding what  they  had  seen. 

His  theory  was  that  the  man  had  been  on  an 
errand  something  like  his  own,  and  being  simi- 
larly unfortunate,  was  lowered  into  the  cave  and 
left  to  die. 

The  evidence  of  the  peaceful  death  which  had 
come  to  him  gave  color  to  the  theory  that  he  was 
possessed  of  some  subtle  poison,  to  which  he  re- 
sorted when  he  found  there  was  no  possible  hope 
of  escape. 

They  were  about  moving  away,  when  Jack  di- 
rected attention  to  his  rifle,  lying  beside  the  body. 

"  Odd  that  I  did  not  notice  that  before,"  said 
his  uncle,  who  immediately  picked  it  up. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  59 

The  action  was  followed  by  an  exclamation  of 
amazement,  for  at  the  first  grasp  the  stock  crum- 
bled to  pieces  and  fell  off. 

"  How  strange !  "  muttered  the  man.  "There 
must  be  something  in  the  air  which  affects  bodies 
and  other  articles  in  this  manner." 

"  How  is  it  with  the  barrel?  " 

"  That  is  all  right,  of  course ;  iron  is  impregna- 
ble against  it." 

"  What's  the  use  of  the  iron  when  there  is  no 
stock?" 

"  It  may  prove  of  some  benefit,  though  not  in 
the  way  in  which  guns  are  generally  useful.  At 
any  rate,  I  will  take  it  along." 

With  this,  he  freed  it  of  the  woodwork,  which 
was  sure  to  come  off  sooner  or  later,  and  found 
he  had  a  formidable  weapon  at  his  command  in 
case  of  a  personal  encounter  with  anyone. 

"  What  do  you  think  you  will  use  that  for  ?  " 
asked  Jack,  with  some  curiosity. 

"  I  have  no  more  idea  than  have  you.  It  may 
not  be  of  the  least  use,  and  it  may  serve  some  im- 
portant purpose.  At  any  rate,  I  feel  a  strong  im- 
pulse to  take  it  along.  Just  now  the  thought  oc- 


6o 

curs  to  me  that  it  may  be  of  help  in  breaking  the 
wood  with  which  we  make  our  fire." 

"  But  we  can't  find  any  more  fuel." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?  Have  we  searched 
the  whole  cavern?  " 

"  No;  and  we  will  never  have  time  to  do  that." 

"  We  expect  to  have  time  to  do  a  great  deal,  for 
there  is  no  strong  prospect  of  our  leaving  very 
soon." 

"  Let  us  try.  Hello !  our  wood  is  about  used 
up,"  exclaimed  the  boy,  as  there  was  a  perceptible 
diminution  of  the  light  around  them.  "  What  are 
we  going  to  do  now  ?  " 

The  deprivation  which  Alfredo  had  dreaded  so 
much  was  upon  them. 

The  last  stick  was  thrown  upon  the  fire  some 
time  before,  and  that,  as  well  as  the  rest,  was 
pretty  well  burned  up. 

The  light  must  soon  give  way  to  total  dark- 
ness. 

What  should  be  done  then  ?  was  the  question  he 
had  been  considering  ever  since  awakening  to  the 
fact.  He  was  compelled  to  believe  that  the  fuel 
upon  which  they  had  been  existing,  as  it  may  be 
said,  had  come  into  the  cavern  accidentally. 


THE  LAND  OP  WONDERS  61 

In  fact,  he  was  sure  of  it,  for  there  could  be  no 
vegetable  growth  in  such  a  place. 

From  some  cause  or  other  it  must  have  been 
precipitated  through  the  opening  above,  and  had 
lain  undisturbed  until  put  to  the  present  use. 

The  realization  that  the  awful  darkness  was 
creeping  upon  them  brought  a  depressing  feeling 
to  Alfredo,  who  viewed  the  coming  of  the  "  eter- 
nal night  "  with  unspeakable  dread. 

"Ain't  that  queer?"  suddenly  asked  Jack, 
whose  eyes  were  of  remarkable  keenness. 
"  Haven't  you  noticed  that?  " 

",What  do  you  mean?"  asked  the  wondering 
uncle. 

"  You  see  where  those  crags  stick  out  from  the 
side  of  the  cavern  ?  Well,  they  glisten  and  shine 
so  much  that  I  would  think  they  were  gold  if  it 
wasn't  for  one  thing." 

"What's  that?" 

"  They're  black  as  jet." 

'Alfredo  walked  to  the  spot  and  knocked  off  sev- 
eral chunks  with  the  gun-barrel,  and  walked  back 
to  the  fire,  that  he  might  examine  it  more  criti- 
cally. 


62 

He  turned  it  over  several  times,  rubbed,  smelled 
and  tasted,  and  finally  ended  it  by  throwing  it  on 
the  blaze,  where  he  carefully  watched  the  result. 


CHAPTER  VII 

FIGHTING  AGAINST  DESPAIR 

ALFREDO  stood  by  the  fire  watching  for  several 
minutes  the  black  chunk  that  he  had  placed  on 
the  coals  and  then  he  suddenly  threw  up  his  hat 
with  a  loud,  joyous  hurrah. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Jack,  in  amaze- 
ment. 

"  Don't  you  see  what  it  is?  It  is  burning!  It  is 
coal!  And  there  are  thousands  of  tons  around  us ! 
We  shall  never  be  in  want  of  a  light  now ;  there  is 
enough  to  keep  burning  here  for  a  hundred 
years." 

These  extravagant  expressions  were  founded 
on  truth. 

The  black,  shiny  masses  that  had  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  boy,  just  as  they  were  on  the  point 
of  fading  out  in  the  darkness,  and  which,  had  they 
remained  unnoticed  a  few  minutes  longer,  would 
have  continued  unnoticed  forever,  were  pure 
stone-coal,  seemingly  of  the  very  best  quality. 
63 


64  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

That  which  was  thrown  upon  the  blaze  readily 
took  the  flame  and  was  soon  all  aglow. 

Other  pieces  of  stone  were  arranged  so  as  to 
form  a  kind  of  grate  upon  which  the  coal  was  laid, 
and  in  a  very  short  time  the  heat  was  such  that 
the  couple  were  forced  to  move  further  away 
from  it. 

The  light  from  this  was  not  so  far-reaching  as 
that  from  the  wood  when  it  was  all  ablaze,  but  it 
imparted  a  steady  glow,  which  extended  much 
further  than  would  be  supposed,  and  when  the 
two  looked  around  their  vision  reached  a  greater 
distance  than  during  the  last  hours  of  the  wood- 
fire. 

"  Let's  have  a  drink  of  water,"  proposed  Jack, 
about  the  time  they  were  fairly  seated  on  the 

ground.  "  I  still  hear  it  falling  somewhere  around 
us." 

"  It  is  near  enough  to  be  seen,"  replied  his  un- 
cle, pointing  to  their  right,  where  it  was  plainly 
observed  as  it  trickled  down  the  wall. 

Both  made  their  way  te  it,  and  found  that  it 
collected  in  a  small  pool  at  the  bottom  of  the  cav- 
ern, where  it  reached  a  depth  of  a  few  inches, 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  65 

when  it  found  an  outflow  into  the  deeper  recesses 
of  the  earth. 

They  were  provided  with  water,  light,  pure  air, 
and  each  was  in  the  best  of  health. 

But  they  were  hopeless  prisoners. 

And  there  was  a  grisly  phantom  creeping  down 
upon  them.  Alfredo  tried  to  think  of  everything 
else,  but  it  intruded  and  forced  away  all  other 
thoughts. 

He  talked  of  other  things,  and  for  a  minute  or 
two  he  succeeded  in  forgetting  it,  but  when  he 
raised  his  eyes  from  the  coals  before  him,  there 
stood  the  grinning  phantom  on  the  other  side  the 
fire,  gibbering  and  pointing  its  finger  at  him. 

Then  when  he  turned  his  head  away  and  stared 
hard  at  Jack,  he  saw  it  standing  behind  him,  and 
dancing  with  glee. 

Though  the  little  fellow  saw  it  not,  it  con- 
stantly flitted  before  the  gaze  of  the  man. 

Whichever  way  he  looked  he  was  sure  to  en- 
counter it.  When  he  stared  at  the  vast  walls  of 
gloom  that  inclosed  them  round  it  was  there, 
dancing  on  the  boundary  line  between  the  cavern 
which  was  illuminated  and  the  blank  gloom  be- 
yond. 


66  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

It  was  always  dancing,  and  never  still. 

When  in  despair  he  raised  his  eyes  to  the 
vaulted  roof,  stretching  away  till  lost  in  invisibil- 
ity, he  could  not  escape  the  fateful  imp. 

With  one  bound  it  leaped  from  the  floor  up  to 
some  crag  overhead,  which  it  seized  with  its  ra- 
ven-like claws,  where  it  hung  on  and  kicked  its 
legs  and  swung  its  arms  as  if  they  would  fly 
from  its  hateful  body.  It  seemed  to  be  saying  all 
the  time: 

"  You're  trying  to  get  away  from  me,  but  you 
can't,  you  can't,  you  can't !  " 

The  two  sat  a  while  in  silence  and  then  the  man 
said: 

"  You  see  the  advantage  of  a  coal  fire  over  one 
made  from  wood;  this  will  burn  far  longer,  and 
we  shall  not  have  to  put  any  more  fuel  on  for  sev- 
eral hours,  unless  we  take  the  notion  to  do  so. 
The  coal  is  of  the  best  quality  too." 

He  looked  across  for  an  answer  to  the  remark, 
but  the  boy  was  silent.  A  glance  at  his  face 
showed  that  his  head  was  drooping  and  his  eyes 
were  shut. 

Jack  Winch  was  asleep. 

"  Poor  fellow,"  murmured  his  uncle,  "  would 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  67 

that  his  sleep  might  last  forever!  it  would  be 
mercy  to  him." 

He  contemplated  him  sorrowfully  a  moment 
while  the  tears  stole  down  his  cheeks,  and  he  called 
on  Heaven  as  he  had  done  many  a  time,  to  succor 
them  now  that  the  day  of  their  calamity  had  come. 

There  was  one  thing  which  presented  itself 
constantly.  That  was  to  attempt  a  more  detailed 
exploration  of  the  cavern. 

There  might  be  some  outlet  of  which  the  ban- 
dits knew  nothing,  and  it  was  not  impossible  that 
the  same  beneficent  Providence  that  had  favored 
them  so  signally  in  the  past  might  open  the  way 
for  them  again.  To  sit  down  and  fold  his  hands 
was  to  give  way  to  all  the  horrors  of  despair. 

The  dreadful  feeling  could  be  fought  off  only 
by  busying  himself  with  something. 

"  It  shall  be  done,"  he  exclaimed,  starting  to 
his  feet.  "  I  shall  give  up  only  when  I  haven't 
the  strength  to  do  anything  more." 

But  he  was  loath  to  start  off  alone,  leaving  the 
boy  behind,  as  he  might  be  drawn  so  far  that  he 
could  not  find  his  way  back.  If  Alfredo  was  re- 
solved on  one  thing,  it  was  to  keep  the  company 
of  Jack  to  the  last. 


68  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

"  I  will  wait  till  he  awakes,"  he  added,  again 
seating  himself  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  fire, 
where  he  could  look  on  the  face  of  the  boy ;  "  he 
may  not  wake  for  hours,  but  I  have  the  time  and 
I  will  wait  patiently  till  he  opens  his  eyes. 
Hello !  "  he  added  ,as  the  boy  at  that  very  mo- 
ment awoke  with  a  start.  "  Your  nap  was  a 
short  one." 

"  I  was  dreaming,"  said  Jack,  "  and  it  was  an 
odd  dream." 

"  I  thought  we  were  talking  about  what  we 
should  do  for  food,  when  an  angel  appeared  and 
told  us  to  go  that  way,"  said  the  boy,  turning  his 
head,  and  pointing  behind  him,  "  and  we  did  as 
he  told  us." 

"What  followed?" 

"  We  hadn't  gone  far  when  we  came  to  a  table 
spread  with  the  best  kind  of  food  I  ever  saw. 
There  was  everything — meat,  and  puddings  and 
fruit,  and  pies,  and  oh!  enough  to  last  a  life- 
time." 

"And  you  ate  it?" 

"  No ;  just  as  I  reached  out  my  hand  and  took 
a  whole  pie,  and  opened  my  mouth  to  take  the 


THE  LAND  OF.  WONDERS  69 

biggest  kind  of  a  bite — big  enough  to  take  in  half 
the  pie — I  woke." 

"  What  a  pity  your  dream  didn't  last  a  little 
longer !  " 

"  That's  what  I  thought  when  I  woke  and  saw 
you  sitting  there,  though  I  would  have  felt  bad 
to  think  you  couldn't  have  shared  it  with  me." 

"  Very  well,  the  next  time  we  will  go  to  sleep 
together,  and  perhaps  we  will  have  the  same 
dream,  and  take  a  good  square  meal  in  our  slum- 
ber." 

Although  Alfredo  spoke  in  this  jesting  man- 
ner, it  was  all  put  on,  for  he  was  disturbed  over 
the  fancy  of  the  lad. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  the  man,  at  last,  with  all 
the  vivacity  he  could  assume,  "  that  I  have  a  hope 
that  there  was  something  in  that  dream  ?  " 

Jack  looked  at  him  in  a  way  which  showed  he 
did  not  understand  his  meaning. 

"  That  may  have  been  a  sort  of  warning  to  us 
that  we  must  not  give  up  yet.  You  have  heard 
your  father,  in  telling  of  his  many  shipwrecks, 
say  that  so  long  as  there  is  life  there  is  hopev 
Who  knows  but  what  there  is  some  way  out  of 
this  cavern  unknown  to  the  Mexicans  who  placed 


7o 

us  here,  and  that  Providence,  who  has  favored 
us  so  greatly  in  the  past,  will  show  us  the  way 
to  it?" 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  eagerly  asked  the  lad; 
"  let  us  look  for  it,  then." 

"  Agreed,"  replied  the  man,  rising  again  to  his 
feet;  "  come  on  and  let  us  learn  the  whole  truth." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BLIND  GROPING A  WONDERFUL  MESSAGE 

THE  two  started  off  on  their  exploring  tour  of 
the  cavern,  without  any  well-defined  idea  of  the 
direction  they  ought  to  take. 

Yielding  to  a  rather  curious  impulse,  however, 
Alfredo  followed  the  course  which  had  come  to 
Jack  in  his  dream. 

They  advanced  with  the  utmost  care,  for  it  was 
their  intention,  in  case  they  made  no  important  dis- 
covery, to  return  to  the  camp,  where  they  could 
be  sure  of  having  a  fire  to  lighten  the  oppressive 
gloom. 

It  was  therefore  necessary  that,  so  far  as  pos- 
sible, they  should  keep  their  bearings." 

"  I  will  take  the  lead,"  said  Alfredo,  "  and  you 
can  keep  as  close  behind  as  you  choose,  so  that 
you  do  not  get  too  far  off.  We  have  plenty  of 
time  at  our  command,  and  there  is  no  need  of  be- 
ing in  a  hurry." 

71 


72  THE  LAND  OF,  WONDERS 

In  this  fashion  they  made  their  start,  and  a  full 
hour  was  spent  in  going  less  than  a  couple  of  hun- 
dred yards. 

The  floor  of  the  cavern  was  so  uneven,  and  they 
were  in  such  fear  of  precipitating  themselves  into 
some  fathomless  opening,  that  they  advanced  with 
as  much  caution  as  if  they  were  a  couple  of  ele- 
phants crossing  a  bridge  for  the  first  time. 

All  the  while  Alfredo  was  suffering  torture  of 
mind  more  than  of  body,  caused  by  the  feeling  that 
his  distressing  hunger  was  steadily  increasing. 

It  must  be  the  same  with  Jack,  he  knew,  and  it 
would  continue  to  increase  until  its  own  intensity 
would  be  deadened  by  the  giving  away  of  the 
system. 

The  exploration  was  kept  up  for  a  couple  of 
hours  without  accomplishing  anything.  They 
had  done  a  great  deal  of  tramping,  and  were  in 
need  of  rest. 

Alfredo  proposed,  therefore,  that  they  should 
go  back  to  the  camp  and  rest  awhile  before  com- 
ing out  again  to  look  in  another  direction. 

Jack  was  glad  of  the  proposal,  for  he  was  so 
wearied  that  he  felt  hardly  able  to  walk  back  to 
camp. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  73 

As  they  had  a  beacon  to  guide  them,  and  they 
had  been  over  the  ground  once,  it  was  not  neces- 
sary to  use  anything  like  the  same  caution  in  re- 
turning, and  they  walked  at  a  rate  which  took 
them  to  their  destination  in  less  then  half  an 
hour. 

Poor  Jack  threw  himself  on  the  ground,  too 
wearied  to  go  to  sleep,  while  Alfredo  gathered 
some  more  coal  and  threw  considerable  on  the 
fire. 

The  boy  had  tried  hard  to  keep  up,  but  such  a 
feeling  of  "  all  goneness  "  came  over  him  now, 
that  it  was  useless  to  strive  against  it,  and  he  lay 
motionless  on  the  ground,  looking  into  the  fire 
and  saying  nothing. 

His  relative  was  undergoing  the  same  distress 
himself,  so  he  stretched  out  on  the  ground  as  if  he 
meant  to  go  to  sleep. 

What  was  rather  singular  now  took  place;  Al- 
fredo expected  to  lie  awake  long  after  the  lad 
went  off  into  the  land  of  dreams,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, he  went  to  sleep  first. 

The  last  recollection  of  the  man  was  of  seeing 
the  dark  eyes  of  the  boy  fixed  upon  the  fire  with  a 
mournful  expression  that  would  have  touched  the 


74  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

heart  of  the  most  cruel.  Thus  Jack  lay  when  his 
friend  sank  into  unconsciousness. 

The  boy  noticed  it,  and  was  somewhat  sur- 
prised, but  he  was  too  wearied  to  think  much 
about  it,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  followed 
him. 

At  this  time  it  was  night  above,  and  the  earth 
was  shrouded  in  a  darkness  scarcely  less  than  that 
which  filled  the  cavern.  As  Jack  Winch  was  the 
last  to  go  to  sleep  he  was  the  first  to  wake  up. 

When  he  opened  his  eyes,  the  first  thing  he  no- 
ticed was  that  his  uncle  was  still  wrapped  in  slum- 
ber, and  the  fire  had  sunk  very  low. 

He  sprang  up  and  threw  some  coal  on  the  em- 
bers. 

The  crackling  of  the  pieces  and  the  snapping  of 
the  small  particles  caused  Alfredo  to  awaken. 

When  he  saw  what  the  boy  was  at  he  was 
alarmed. 

"  Haven't  you  been  asleep,  Jack  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  slept  all  I  wanted  to,  and  have  been 
awake  only  a  few  minutes." 

"  Have  you  had  any  more  dreams  ?  "  continued 
the  man,  with  a  laugh. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  75 

"  No,  but  I've  seen  something,"  was  the  unex- 
pected answer. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  asked  his  relative. 

"  I  have  seen  something — that  is,  there  has 
been  somebody  here  in  the  cavern." 

It  was  poor  Alfredo  now;  when  he  heard  his 
young  friend  talk  in  this  manner  he  knew  some- 
thing was  wrong  with  him. 

His  tender  years  were  not  able  to  fight  off  the 
approach  of  weakness,  and  he  was  already  subject 
to  mental  aberration  caused  by  what  he  had  al- 
ready undergone. 

The  man  was  sure  that  this  was  what  the  little 
fellow  meant,  or,  rather,  what  his  fancy  meant. 

"  You  have  been  dreaming  again,  and  it  has 
been  so  vivid  that  you  think  it  was  real,"  said  Al- 
fredo, gently  but  firmly;  "don't  delude  yourself 
in  that  way,  for  I  have  seen  such  things  before, 
and  know  what  they  mean." 

"  But  this  wasn't  any  dream,"  persisted  the 
boy,  with  an  impressive  earnestness  which,  how- 
ever, only  increased  the  misgivings  of  his  rela- 
tive. 

The  latter  preferred  that  he  would  not  tell  what 
it  was,  for  it  could  only  cause  distress  to  his  lis- 


76  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

tener.  But  the  lad  was  determined  that  all  should 
be  known. 

"  It  wasn't  a  dream,  uncle,  for  I  know  the  dif- 
ference between  seeing  a  thing  with  my  eyes  open 
and  with  them  shut." 

"  Dreams  are  often  so  vivid  that  the  most  care- 
ful minds  are  deceived ;  take  my  word  for  it  that 
it  has  been  the  same  with  you.  Of  course  you 
think  differently,  but  it  does  not  alter  the  fact." 

Jack  laughed  in  a  way  which  had  no  mirth  in  it. 

"  I  was  lying  right  there,"  said  he,  "  as  sound 
asleep  as  ever  I  was,  when  a  little  speck  of  hot 
coal  fell  on  my  hand,  and  I  woke  in  a  hurry.  I 
gave  a  start  and  opened  my  eyes,  and  looked 
about  me,  and  what  do  you  s'pose  I  saw  ?  " 

"  Nothing  but  the  fire  burning." 

"  There  was  a  man  moving  about  in  the  dark- 
ness there  behind  you!  You  needn't  shake  your 
head  and  smile,  for  it  wasn't  any  mistake." 

"  I  hope  it  wasn't,  but  I  am  none  the  less  sure 
it  was." 

"  It  was  the  burn  on  my  hand  which  woke  me, 
and  I  looked  at  it.  I  saw  the  little  blister  just  as 
I  see  it  now,  and  just  as  you  can  see  it  by  look- 
ing." 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  77 

As  he  spoke  he  held  out  his  hand  and  his  friend 
noted  the  little  burned  spot;  just  this  did  not  con- 
vince him,  but  it  made  the  case  somewhat  clearer. 

"  He  was  close  to  the  fire,  and  seemed  to  be 
looking  at  us  both.  When  I  caught  sight  of  him 
he  was  stooping  down  and  laying  a  piece  of  paper 
on  the  ground.  The  fire  was  quite  low,  so  that 
I  could  just  see  his  figure  and  not  his  face,  and  the 
minute  I  moved,  he  darted  back  out  of  sight,  and 
was  gone.  There  was  only  the  one  thing  which  I 
noticed,  and  that  was  that  he  seemed  to  be  trying 
to  keep  his  face  turned  away,  so  that  I  couldn't 
see  it ;  and  then  he  was  gone  so  soon  that  I  hardly 
had  time  to  know  what  he  was  doing  when  he  was 
out  of  sight." 

"  If  he  laid  the  paper  there  and  did  not  take  it 
up  again,  of  course  it  must  be  there  still." 

"  There  is  the  paper  behind  you,"  said  Jack. 

Had  Alfredo  felt  the  bite  of  a  rattle-snake,  he 
could  not  have  leaped  more  suddenly  into  the  air 
than  he  did  when  he  heard  this  announcement 
from  Jack  Winch,  who  instantly  laughed  and 
added : 

"  I  saw  it  there  all  the  time  I  was  talking  to 
you." 

It  was  several  minutes  before    Alfredo   could 


78  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERSi 

master  his  emotions  sufficiently  to  advance  the 
few  steps  necessary  and  stoop  down  to  lift  the 
missive  from  the  earth.  Stepping  closer  to  the 
fire,  he  knelt  down  and  saw  that  a  number  of 
words  were  penciled  thereon. 

They  were  written  in  an  excellent  hand,  and 
read  as  follows : 

"  You  will  see  an  arrow  drawn  on  the  ground 
behind  the  boy;  it  points  the  right  direction  for 
you  to  follow.  Follow  that  course  and  use  your 
eyes,  and  you  will  see  something  of  importance." 

Alfredo  read  this  over  and  over  until  it  was 
burned  in  his  brain,  and  then  he  handed  it  to 
Jack  without  a  word.  The  boy  read  it,  too,  and, 
like  any  juvenile,  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  message  addressed  them  was  one  which  would 
lead  them  to  safety  and  freedom.  Stepping  over 
to  the  other  side  of  the  fire,  they  saw  the  figure  of 
the  arrow  drawn  in  the  dust  of  the  floor,  a  finger 
having  evidently  been  used  with  which  to  trace 
it.  A  peculiar  fact  struck  both. 

The  course  indicated  by  the  arrow  was  pre- 
cisely the  same  as  that  of  which  the  lad  had 
dreamed. 

It  was  the  same  route  also  which  they  had  tried 
and  found  to  be  of  no  use  to  them. 


CHAPTER  IX 

STRUGGLING  TOWARD  THE  LIGHT CALLING  NEXT 

DOOR 

THEY  had  been  over  the  same  route  to  quite  a 
distance,  during  which  they  had  used  their  eyes 
to  their  fullest  extent  without  discovering  the 
least  encouraging  fact.  How,  then,  was  it  to  be 
done  now  ? 

When  Alfredo  ventured  to  suggest  some  doubt 
on  this  point,  intending  to  check  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  lad,  the  latter  said :  "I  know  why  that 
was." 

"Well,  why  was  it?" 

"  'Cause  it  was  night  when  we  went  before; 
now  it  is  daytime,  and  we  have  a  better  chance." 

'  You  sometimes  show  more  sense,  Jack,"  said 
Alfredo,  admiringly,  "  than  I  am  able  to  gain  in  a 
week's  experience  and  meditation.  I  ought  to 
have  thought  of  that  myself,  but  I  did  not.  That 
is,  perhaps,  the  very  reason  why  we  failed.  Had 
79 


go  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

there  been  any  opening,  we   might  have   passed 
within  arm's  length  without  knowing  it." 

"  How  did  that  man  get  down  here?  and  where 
has  he  gone  now  ?  " 

"  That  remains  to  be  discovered.  It  gives  me 
more  reason  to  believe  that  there  is  some  avenue 
which  is  unknown  to  all  the  bandits  at  least." 

"  Who  was  the  man,  do  you  think,  Uncle 
Frede?" 

"  Did  you  see  any  resemblance  to  Vega  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit." 

"  He  must  be  one  of  the  Mexicans  who  was 
struck  with  pity  that  we  were  condemned  to  die 
in  this  way,  and  he  has  tried  to  conjure  up  some 
plan  of  helping  us." 

"You  don't  think  it  is  anyone  trying  to  lead 
us  into  a  trap  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  Could  there  be  any  more  complete  trap  than 
the  one  in  which  we  are?  The  worst  he  could 
do  can  be  no  worse  than  this  now." 

This  way  of  putting  it  seemed  to  satisfy  the 
boy. 

Before  starting  they  had  heaped  the  fire  up 
well,  to  serve  as  a  sort  of  compass  to  them  in  fol- 
lowing the  guidance  of  their  unknown  friend. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  81 

They  now  pressed  forward  and  reached  the  last 
point  from  which  they  could  see  the  fire. 

To  pass  on  would  compel  them  to  cut  loose,  as 
it  were,  from  their  anchor.  They  paused  a  min- 
ute or  two  before  doing  so. 

"  From  here  forward,"  said  Alfredo,  "  we  must 
walk  with  a  great  deal  more  care,  for  the  way  is 
new  to  us.  It  may  be,  too,  that  the  sun  has  not 
risen  so  high  as  to  shine  on  the  earth  above." 

"  You  can  use  that  gun-barrel  as  an  elephant 
uses  his  trunk — feeling  your  way  along." 

"  That's  just  what  I  mean  to  do,"  responded 
the  man,  beginning  the  work  at  once. 

The  groping  forward  was  continued  with  the 
same  caution  that  they  had  exercised  from  the 
first  time  they  attempted  it.  There  was  little 
change  in  the  character  of  the  floor  over  which 
they  made  their  way. 

But  one  very  important  fact  was  patent  to  both 
before  they  had  gone  a  hundred  feet. 

They  were  steadily  ascending  toward  some 
point. 

"  That's  a  good  sign,"  said  Alfredo ;  "  for  so 
long  as  we  do  that,  so  long  are  we  approaching 
the  surface  of  the  earth." 


82  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

"  And  if  we  keep  at  it  long  enough,  we  shall 
reach  that  place  after  a  while." 

"  Or  bump  our  heads  against  the  roof." 

"  That's  it,  precisely ;  we  must  have  been  a 
good  ways  down  to  enable  us  to  ascend  in  this 
manner,  without  reaching  some  outlet  or  some 
sign  of  the  daylight  above." 

They  were  using  their  eyes  as  best  they  could, 
while  they  stopped  at  frequent  intervals  to  listen 
and  look  again  and  again,  to  make  sure  they  had 
not  committed  any  error. 

They  had  been  a  long  time  without  any  food, 
and  they  were  not  capable  of  the  task  which  they 
would  impose  on  themselves.  And  yet  each  en- 
deavored to  make  light  of  his  own  fatigue. 

"  It  won't  take  us  long  to  recover  our 
strength,"  said  the  man,  "  and  I  want  you  to  re- 
member, my  boy,  that  we  have  been  doing  some 
hard  work." 

"  I  feel  as  if  we  had,"  said  Jack,  with  a  faint 
laugh. 

"  We  have  come  a  good  ways,  and  it  has  all 
been  up  hill." 

There  was  no  disputing  this,  and  after  a  few 
more  words,  the  man  said : 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  83 

"Jack,  you  have  shown  more  than  once  that 
your  eyes  are  a  great  deal  better  than  mine,  and 
you  must  bear  in  mind  that  I  am  depending  on 
you  mainly.  I  have  a  dread  of  passing  the  place 
where  we  ought  to  stop.  Will  you,  therefore, 
before  we  start  again,  take  another  good  look  on 
every  hand  ?  " 

The  boy  did  as  requested,  repeating  a  perform- 
ance which  he  had  gone  through  with  a  dozen 
times  already.  He  was  so  long  at  it  that  his  rela- 
tive asked  the  cause. 

"  Do  you  discover  anything?  " 

"  I  don't  know  whether  I  do  or  not." 

"  Explain  yourself." 

"  Two  or  three  times  when  I  looked  off  there — 
hold  on,  and  let  me  point  your  hand  in  the  right 
way,"  said  Jack,  groping  around  in  the  dark,  till 
he  had  the  right  course  impressed  on  his  friend — 
"  several  times,  I  say,  when  I  look  off  that  way,  it 
has  seemed  to  me  that  there  was  a  spot  which  was 
lighter  than  the  rest.  When  I  look  steadily  at  it, 
I  don't  notice  the  light,  but  when  I  come  back  to  it 
all  at  once  it  is  very  plain." 

"  Just  as  when  you  look  at  the  '  seven  stars  '  in 
the  sky.  At  first  you  can  see  the  seven,  but  when 


84  THE  LAND  OF.  WONDERS 

you  try  to  count  them,  one  or  two  persist  in  hid- 
ing from  sight." 

"  Can  you  notice  any  difference  there?  " 

"  I  certainly  do,"  said  Alfredo,  after  a  minute's 
scrutiny,  "  and  where  it  strikes  us  both  there  must 
be  something  in  it." 

"  Let  us  go  and  examine  it,"  said  the  lad,  in 
considerable  excitement. 

"  I  will  do  so,  but  we  must  not  forget  our  cau- 
tion." 

They  began  picking  their  way  along  with  the 
same  care  Alfredo  had  insisted  upon  from  the  be- 
ginning. 

The  route  was  rougher  and  more  difficult  of 
ascent  than  they  had  met  yet,  but  the  ground 
steadily  rose,  and  they  were  cheered  by  the  belief 
that  every  step  was  taking  them  nearer  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth  and  into  the  sunshine. 

They  became  well  satisfied,  too,  that  it  was  no 
idle  fancy  of  theirs  respecting  the  light  which  the 
boy  believed  he  had  discovered. 

There  was  a  portion  of  the  cavern  which 
showed  signs  of  a  dull  glow,  which  must  in  some 
way  or  other  come  from  the  earth  above. 

This  certainly  did  a  good  deal  to    raise   their 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  85 

spirits,  and  they  pressed  forward,  even  though 
they  were  wearied  and  weak,  and  would  gladly 
have  thrown  themselves  on  the  ground  and  en- 
dured hunger  and  suffering  for  the  sake  of  rest. 

"  It  isn't  far  off,"  remarked  Alfredo,  after 
pushing  their  way  a  little  further  forward ;  "  I 
have  been  studying  it  closely  for  the  last  fifteen 
minutes." 

"  So  have  I,  and  it  don't  seem  any  nearer  nor 
any  further  off.  It's  the  queerest  thing  I  ever 
heard  tell  of." 

"  It  isn't  much  further  off." 

A  few  minutes  after  these  words  were  uttered, 
Alfredo  added :  "  We  have  reached  the  spot." 

Jack  would  not  have  suspected  it  but  for  this 
assurance,  but  an  examination  of  their  surround- 
ings showed  that  he  spoke  the  truth. 

Immediately  about  them  all  was  dark,  but  over- 
head and  to  one  side  there  was  a  dull  glow,  which 
puzzled  one  to  understand  where  it  came  from. 

The  case  was  peculiar. 

They  found  they  were  standing  close  to  a  par- 
tition of  stone,  in  the  upper  part  of  which  was  a 
fissure,  which  admitted  the  light  that  had  first 
drawn  their  attention  in  that  direction.  What 


86  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

was  beyond  was  left  to  conjecture.  After  study- 
ing the  matter  awhile,  Alfredo  was  led  to  express 
his  belief  on  that  point. 

"  There  is  light  beyond  where  we  are  standing 
— enough  to  allow  the  rays  to  work  their  way 
through  the  upper  portion  into  this  apartment. 
Now  if  we  could  get  into  next  door,  as  I  might 
say,  we  should  have  plenty  of  sunlight." 

"  Can't  we  get  there?" 

"  Do  you  know  of  any  way  to  pass  through  a 
stone  wall?  " 

"  None,  except  by  battering  the  wall  down." 

"  I  have  thought  of  that,  but  we  haven't  the 
means  of  doing  it,  unless,"  added  the  man,  in 
some  excitement,  "  this  gun-barrel  is  sufficient." 

He  began  picking  and  hammering  with  it,  ac- 
tuated by  a  wild  hope  that  the  partition  was  so 
thin  that  he  might  work  his  way  through  to  the 
next  apartment. 

It  was  hard  to  tell  the  prospect  when  they  were 
working  against  such  a  solid  substance  as  stone, 
but  the  latter  was  so  soft  and  yielding,  that  they 
were  much  encouraged  by  the  progress  made. 

When  Alfredo  paused  for  a  moment   to   rest, 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  87 

Jack  caught  the  iron  from  his  hand  and  continued 
the  work. 

"  We  mustn't  lose  any  time,"  said  he,  in  ex- 
planation, "  for  I  don't  think  either  of  us  is  very 
strong." 

He  soon  proved  the  truth  of  this,  so  far  as  it 
concerned  himself,  for  he  speedily  got  out  of 
breath  and  was  forced  to  sit  down. 

"  I  guess  I  can  try  it  again,"  said  his  uncle, 
taking  up  the  barrel  and  striking  into  the  rock 
again. 

He  forgot  that  his  own  strength  and  endurance 
had  much  to  do  with  the  settlement  of  that  ques- 
tion. 

"  I  don't  think  we  have  a  great  deal  further  to 
go,"  said  he,  as  he  toiled  wearily  at  the  primitive 
pick.  "  I  think  I  detect  a  hollow  sound  that 
shows " 

At  that  moment  the  wall  gave  way,  and  Al- 
fredo fell  forward  with  his  head  and  shoulders 
thrust  through  into  the  next  apartment. 


CHAPTER  X 

WALLED  IN   BY  DESPAIR 

JACK  WINCH  heard  the  fall  and  saw  the  light, 
but  for  a  minute  did  not  know  the  cause  of  it  all. 

Then,  as  his  uncle  carefully  crawled  through 
and  rose  to  his  feet,  the  lad  understood  that  he 
had  worked  his  way  through  the  partition,  and 
was  already  in  the  adjoining  apartment. 

He  was  somewhat  bruised  from  the  fragments 
of  stone  which  rattled  down  on  his  head  and  body, 
but  not  enough  to  cause  him  any  inconvenience. 

They  had  emerged  into  another  apartment,  it 
is  true,  and  there  was  enough  sunlight  around  to 
allow  them  to  see  each  other. 

They  grasped  hands,  and  for  a  minute  both 
were  too  full  to  speak  a  single  word. 

There  was  a  blessed  happiness  in  seeing  each 
other's  faces  once  more — not  by  the  ghastly  re- 
flection of  the  fire  in  the  cavern,  but  illuminated 
by  the  light  of  the  sun  itself. 
88 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  $9 

When  their  joy  had  subsided  somewhat,  they 
congratulated  themselves,  and  thanked  God  that 
they  had  been  able  to  do  that  much. 

Then  they  devoted  their  time  to  finding  out 
what  the  precise  situation  was. 

They  found  they  were  within  a  comparatively 
narrow  passageway,  it  being  no  more  than  a 
dozen  yards  in  width,  while  its  length  was  indefi- 
nite. 

The  roof  was  less  than  thirty  feet  in  height, 
and  there  were  side  crevices  which  admitted 
enough  light  to  impart  a  sort  of  twilight  illumina- 
tion to  the  place.  None  of  these  fissures  afforded 
a  glimpse  of  the  outside. 

The  walls  were  so  smooth  and  perpendicular 
that  the  most  supple  monkey  could  not  have  made 
his  way  up  to  the  top. 

And  it  would  have  done  him  no  good  had  he 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  roof,  inasmuch  as  there 
was  no  means  by  which  he  could  have  gotten 
to  the  surface  of  the  earth  above. 

"  Is  there  no  means  by  which  we  can  gain  a 
chance  to  get  at  some  of  those  fissures  overhead?" 
Alfredo  asked  himself,  looking  up  at  the  crevices 


90  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

through  which  the  stray  rays  of  light  were  steal- 
ing. 

He  spoke  in  a  low  voice,  intending  to  be  heard 
by  no  one  but  himself,  but  Jack,  whose  senses 
seemed  sharpened  by  their  distressful  situation, 
caught  the  utterance,  and  rising  to  his  feet,  re- 
sponded : 

'  There  isn't  any  way  that  we  can  do  it  by  stay- 
ing here;  let's  go  further  on." 

"  Come  ahead,  then,  and  we  will  not  tire  our- 
selves by  walking  so  fast  as  we  did  in  coming  to 
this  spot." 

They  started  up  the  cavern,  away  from  the 
place  where  they  had  been  resting  and  in  the  di- 
rection in  which  their  faces  were  turned  at  the 
moment  when  they  first  stood  upright  in  the  sun- 
lit place.  For  a  time  the  ground,  or  rather  rock, 
was  nearly  level.  This  of  itself  was  not  discour- 
aging, as  they  might  have  been  nearing  a  more 
favorable  position  while  doing  so. 

But  it  was  disheartening  to  observe  they  were 
steadily  entering  a  region  of  gloom  which  deep- 
ened until  they  were  unable  to  see  each  other. 

When  this  point  was  reached,  Alfredo  stopped. 

"  There  is  no  use    in    keeping    on,"  said  he, 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  91 

"  when  we  shall  only  put  ourselves  in  a  situation 
where  we  cannot  see  to  turn  round." 

"  Let's  go  back  and  try  the  other  way." 

"  That  is  all  that  remains  to  us." 

They  reversed  their  course  without  delay,  and 
in  due  time  arrived  at  the  place  from  which  they 
started  a  short  time  before. 

Passing  this,  their  experience  was  very  similar 
to  what  it  was  on  their  first  venture. 

They  continued  on  longer  than  before,  impelled 
by  the  consciousness  that  it  was  their  last  chance. 

Even  after  the  gloom  was  so  great  that  they 
had  to  feel  every  step  of  the  way,  they  groped 
ahead,  going  downward  and  pausing  only  when 
they  found  themselves  on  the  margin  of  a  chasm 
into  which  they  narrowly  escaped  falling. 

It  was  apparent  long  before  this  that  the  two 
had  entered  the  new  division  of  the  cavern  at  the 
most  favorable  spot. 

Such  being  the  fact,  and  that  offering  nothing 
in  the  way  of  hope,  what  could  they  do  ? 

"  Let  us  return  and  rest  ourselves,"  said  Al- 
fredo, alarmed  at  the  speediness  with  which  they 
succumbed  to  fatigue. 

On  going  back  to  camp,  as  it  may  be  called, 


9  2  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

they  made  one  discovery  which  gave  them  some- 
thing to  speculate  upon. 

That  was  the  evidence  that  this  part  of  the  cav- 
ern had  been  visited  by  somebody  else  besides 
themselves. 

The  proof  of  this  was  simple  but  conclusive. 

At  one  side  of  the  chamber-like  passage 
through  which  they  were  painfully  picking  their 
way,  the  foot  of  Jack  struck  an  obstruction  which 
upon  examination,  proved  to  be  a  Panama  hat. 

It  being  entirely  different  from  that  worn  by 
the  guide,  Vega,  the  friends  were  not  warranted 
in  placing  any  hope  on  its  being  his. 

"  It  may  have  been  here  for  years,  like  those 
dothes  we  found  a  while  ago,"  said  Jack. 

"  No,"  replied  his  uncle;  "  that  hat  has  lain  in 
this  place  no  more  than  twenty-four  hours.  I  am 
certain  of  that." 

There  was  no  doubt  that  he  was  right  in  this 
declaration,  for  there  were  signs  about  the  head- 
gear which  warranted  him  in  declaring  such  be- 
lief. 

Such  being  proven,  it  followed  that  the  man 
who  owned  it  must  be  possessed  of  the  secret  of 
entering  and  leaving  the  cavern. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  93 

If  he  possessed  it,  what  was  to  prevent  its  being 
learned  by  those  who  were  in  such  great  need  of 
such  knowledge? 

"  I  guess  the  only  way  they  could  have  got 
here  was  as  we  did,"  remarked  Jack. 

"  You  mean  by  being  lowered  with  a  rope?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  But  I  cannot  understand  how  that  can  be,  as 
we  have  been  unable  to  discover  any  opening  over 
our  heads." 

"  Couldn't  there  be  one  without  our  knowing 
anything  about  it  ?  " 

"  Possibly  there  might,  but  it  does  not  seem 
likely.  I  am  well  persuaded  that  there  is  some 
place — hello!  here  is  something  which  escaped 
us." 

This  remark  was  caused  by  noting  at  this  junc- 
ture a  fissure  in  the  wall  at  their  side,  which  ex- 
tended backward  in  the  darkness. 

It  was  no  more  than  six  feet  in  width,  and  they 
entered  it  with  some  hesitation. 

Alfredo  took  the  lead,  and  soon  found  himself 
in  such  utter  blackness  of  darkness  that  he  was 
forced  to  feel  every  inch  of  the  way. 

He  had  penetrated  a  distance  of  fifty  feet,  when 


94  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

he  was  brought  up  standing  by  running  squarely 
against  the  face  of  the  solid  rock. 

Feeling  round  with  both  hands  fpr  some  time, 
he  learned  that  he  had  reached  the  end  of  the 
chamber. 

It  was  impossible  to  advance  a  foot  further. 

"  If  there  is  any  avenue  here,  how  are  we  go- 
ing to  see  it  ?  " 

"  If  there  was  any,  wouldn't  it  show  itself  when 
the  sun  is  shining?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  Certainly ;  so  it  follows  that  our  search  is  in 
vain,  and  we  may  as  well  return." 

"  Why  not  strike  a  match?  " 

"  It  is  useless,"  said  Alfredo,  vainly  striving  to 
hide  the  despair  which  now  took  possession  of 
him  more  completely  than  ever  before. 

Ah,  if  he  had  but  struck  the  match,  as  the  boy 
proposed,  he  would  have  made  a  wonderful  dis- 
covery ! 

"  It  is  time  thrown  away,"  added  the  man, 
groping  back  again.  "  There  is  no  way  of  get- 
ting out  of  this  prison,  and  it  is  well  for  us  to  ac- 
cept the  fact." 

Jack  made  no  answer,  for  he  could  not  but  feel 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  95 

much  of  the  same  gloom  which  crushed  his  rela- 
tive to  the  very  earth. 

And  so,  without  another  word,  they  picked 
their  course  back  through  the  dimly-lit  corridor, 
until  they  arrived  at  the  point  where  they  had 
made  an  entrance  through  the  rent  in  the  wall. 
Here  Alfredo  threw  himself  helplessly  down  upon 
the  flinty  floor.  Never,  until  now,  had  he  given 
completely  up  to  despair. 

He  had  abandoned  all  hope,  and  was  ready  to 
meet  the  fate  which  he  now  believed  was  inevi- 
table from  the  first. 

"  What  did  the  man  mean  by  telling  us  to  come 
here?" 

He  was  only  trifling  with  us ;  it  was  a  part  of 
one  of  the  most  diabolical  schemes  of  cruelty  ever 
perpetrated.  They  knew  we  would  live  a  brief 
while,  and  they  planned  this  to  add  to  our  suffer- 
ing. If  it  is  any  comfort  to  them,  they  may  know 
they  have  succeeded  as  far  as  they  could  wish." 

"  Look !  look !  look !  "  suddenly  exclaimed 
Jack  Winch,  leaping  to  his  feet  like  a  madman. 
"  Look !  look !  Do  you  see  that,  uncle  ?  It  isn't 
time  yet  for  despair  ?  " 


CHAPTER  XI 

LIKE  MANNA 

JACK  WINCH  was  dancing  and  shouting  like  a 
lunatic. 

"  Look !  look !  look !  Don't  you  see  that,  Uncle 
Frede?" 

The  man  appealed  to  in  this  wild  fashion 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  was  about  to  seize  the  boy 
to  prevent  his  doing  an  injury  to  himself;  but  if 
he  was  mad,  there  was  surely  method  in  it. 

In  reply  to  the  wondering  stare  of  his  uncle, 
Jack  pointed  to  something  over  their  heads. 

Alfredo  saw  it,  only  a  few  feet  away,  and  about 
on  a  level  with  his  own  face. 

It  somewhat  resembled  an  ordinary  cap,  and 
with  some  hesitation,  he  thrust  out  his  hand  and 
took  hold  of  it. 

"  Thank  God !  "  was  the  fervent  exclamation 
which  escaped  him  the  next  minute,  and  it  was 
96 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  97 

the  utmost  he  could  do  to  restrain  himself  from 
dancing  about  as  extravagantly  as  did  the  boy. 

But  he  succeeded  in  his  effort  at  self-govern- 
ment, and  reaching  up  the  knife  of  Jack,  he  cut 
the  thong  above  the  object,  and  then  sat  down  on 
the  ground  with  it  in  his  lap. 

"  Come,  let  us  eat,"  he  said,  and  the  lad  took 
his  seat  beside  him,  trembling  with  suppressed 
excitement. 

That  which  they  had  discovered  hanging  down 
by  a  buffalo  thong,  was  a  piece  of  antelope  steak 
cooked  to  a  turn,  and  a  bottle  of  clear  cold  water. 

It  seemed  as  if  they  were  sent  from  Heaven, 
and  the  delighted  sufferers  could  hardly  realize 
what  was  in  their  possession  until  they  had  swal- 
lowed all  they  wished  of  the  liquid,  and  began 
upon  the  meat. 

The  latter  was  crisp,  tender,  and  prepared  by 
some  one  who  was  a  master  of  the  art. 

Ah !  what  pen  is  able  to  tell  the  bliss  that  was 
now  the  portion  of  Alfredo  and  Jack? 

It  was  like  a  taste  of  Heaven,  to  be  lifted  from 
the  uttermost  depths  of  despair  into  the  sunlight 
of  happiness. 

They  ate  and  ate,  and  then  drank  again. 


98 

Then  the  man,  with  a  huge  grin,  reached  over 
and  shook  hands  with  the  boy,  just  as  if  he  had 
landed  only  that  moment  from  a  foreign  shore. 

Then  they  ate  and  ate,  and  drank  again. 

After  this,  they  concluded  that  this  world  was 
not  such  a  dreary  place  as  some  meddlesome  folks 
tried  to  make  out 

And  then  they  ate  and  ate,  and  drank  again. 

When  the  vast  hollows  within  began  to  feel  as 
if  they  were  filling  up  with  the  luscious  food,  and 
life  and  strength  commenced  to  steal  through  the 
weakened  system,  they  were  ready  to  conclude 
that  there  were  many  worse  forms  of  punishment 
than  being  confined  under  ground,  particularly  if 
some  one  was  kind  enough  to  give  them  all  they 
could  want  of  the  best  kind  of  food. 

And  so  they  ate  and  ate  and  drank  again. 

Whoever  expressed  the  meat  to  them  must  have 
suspected  the  enormous  appetites  of  which  they 
were  the  owners,  for  there  was  enough  to  furnish 
several  meals  to  ordinary  men. 

"  Where  did  it  come  from?  "  asked  Jack,  when 
he  felt  himself  beginning  to  grow  corpulent. 

"  From  Heaven !  "  was  the  answer  of  his  uncle, 
as  he  shoved  in  another  juicy  piece  of  the  steak. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  99 

"  Of  course,  every  blessing  comes  from  there ; 
but  who  do  you  s'pose  was  used  by  Heaven  to 
bring  it  down  to  us?  " 

"  Nobody  brought  it  here ;  it  was  let  down  with 
a  rope,  just  as  we  were  lowered  into  these  re- 
gions." 

"  It  must  have  been  that  man  that  I  saw  poking 
round  in  the  other  part  of  the  cavern,  and  that 
left  the  directions  for  us  to  follow." 

"  The  supposition  is  not  at  all  unreasonable," 
said  Alfredo,  disposing  of  some  more  of  the  meat, 
and  washing  it  down  with  the  sparkling  cold 
water  from  the  bottle. 

"  Can  you  see  where  it  comes  from  ?  "  asked 
the  boy,  looking  up  in  the  attempt  to  follow  the 
rope  with  his  eye. 

"  I  haven't  time  just  yet  to  bother  with  such 
nonsense,"  said  his  uncle,  who  continued  to  eat 
like  one  who  was  indeed  famished. 

"  How  soon  will  you  be  through?  "  asked  Jack, 
looking  wonderingly  at  the  man. 

"  I  feel  that  the  greatest  part  is  over,  I  am  sorry 
to  say,  and  that  we  shall  rest  from  eating  before 
many  days.  Don't  be  discouraged  by  any  signs 
of  a  different  state  of  things." 


ioo  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

Jack  had  done,  and  leaving  his  relative  to  com- 
plete his  meal  at  his  leisure,  he  used  his  eyes  as 
best  he  could  in  the  attempt  to  trace  the  rope  that 
had  let  down  the  provision  to  them  to  its  source. 

The  light  was  so  faint  that  this  was  a  difficult 
task,  and  he  could  not  be  sure  he  was  right. 

The  conclusion  he  came  to,  however,  was  that 
it  extended  upward  some  thirty  feet,  until  it 
reached  one  of  the  fissures,  which  has  been  spoken 
of  as  admitting  the  sunlight,  and  into  this  it  dis- 
appeared. This  crevice,  it  will  be  borne  in  mind, 
was  in  the  upper  part  of  the  wall,  instead  of  the 
roof,  so  that  nothing  more  than  its  existence 
could  be  ascertained  by  the  man  and  boy. 

"  That  rope  ain't  strong  enough  to  hold  me,  is 
it  ?  "  asked  Jack,  looking  doubtfully  at  it. 

"  It  might  have  done  so  before  you  ate  that  din- 
ner," replied  his  uncle,  "  but  it  could  not  possibly 
do  so  now  after  such  a  load  as  that,  which  would 
snap  it  like  yarn." 

''  Then,  it  would  take  one  of  the  cables  they 
used  to  have  on  the  Mary  Ann  to  hold  you,"  re- 
torted the  boy,  with  a  glance  at  his  uncle. 

'  There  is  no  disputing  that,"  said  Alfredo, 
who  at  last  finished  his  meal,  rose  to  his  feet,  and 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  101 

brushed  the  fragments  from  his  person.  "  Why 
did  you  ask  about  the  strength  of  the  rope, Jack?" 

"  As  it  is  hanging  there  still  I  thought  I  might 
climb  to  the  opening  up  there,  and  find  how  to  get 
out." 

"  It  would  be  hardly  the  thing  for  us  to  do. 
We  are  obeying  the  orders  of  some  one  who  has 
shown  himself  to  be  a  friend,  and  it  will  not  be 
safe  to  disobey  him.  If  we  should  make  him 
angry  he  might  withdraw  his  friendship,  and  we 
ain't  ready  for  that." 

"  But  he  hasn't  told  us  not  to  do  that." 

"  Nor  has  he  told  us  that  we  might ;  which,  un- 
der the  circumstances,  is  equivalent  to  a  prohibi- 
tion. Let  us  content  ourselves  where  we  are  un- 
til he  notifies  us  that  the  time  has  come  for  a 
change  of  base.  That,  you  may  depend,  is  the 
only  wise  thing." 

"Sh!     Hark!" 

Just  then  they  heard  a  grating  sound,  with 
which  they  had  become  familiar  under  more  try- 
ing circumstances. 

They  glanced  upward  and  saw  that  the  rope 
was  being  pulled  upward,  and  out  of  their  sight. 

Like  a  great  serpent  it  looked  hanging  down 


102  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

from  the  crevice,  over  their  heads  and  out  of  their 
reach. 

Shorter  and  shorter  grew  the  long,  black  line, 
until  at  last  it  whisked  out  of  sight  and  was  gone. 

Much  as  the  two  had  eaten  and  drank,  there 
was  considerable  water  and  food  left. 

"  Which  we  will  take  good  care  of,  in  case  of 
accident." 

"  Don't  you  think  he  will  send  any  more  to 
us?" 

"  Yes.  I  believe  we  shall  be  furnished  with  all 
we  can  need; -and  I  have  seen  and  felt  enough  to 
teach  me  never  to  doubt  Providence,  who  has  be- 
friended us  so  many  times  when  we  were  ready 
to  despair." 

This  was  a  happy  conclusion,  and  one  not  very 
hard  to  reach  after  such  a  hearty  meal. 

It  was  shared  equally  by  both,  as  it  was  natural 
that  it  should  be. 

There  was  a  theory  which  naturally  came  to  the 
man  when  considering  all  that  had  happened  to 
them  during  the  past  few  days,  and  especially 
since  their  descent  into  the  cavern. 

One  of  the  Mexicans,  controlled  by  pity  or 
avarice — with  the  probabilities  in  favor  of  its  be- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  103 

ing  avarice — had  contrived  a  plan  for  saving  the 
wealthy  prisoner. 

The  offers  of  the  latter  must  have  convinced 
this  man  that  the  condemned  was  a  man  of 
wealth,  and  in  case  one  man  should  succeed  in 
saving  him  and  the  boy,  he  would  be  certain  to 
reward  him  most  magnificently  therefor. 

Hence  the  attempts  to  extricate  him  from  the 
cavern. 

He  had  descended  into  it  during-  the  night  to 
learn  how  the  land  lay,  and  then  had  made  his 
plans. 

The  attempt  to  get  the  two  to  leave  the  place, 
and  to  take  up  their  quarters  somewhere  else  was 
to  place  them  beyond  the  knowledge  of  the  rest 
of  the  band.  Having  located  them  in  this  spot, 
no  one  else  could  learn  of  their  situation,  and 
when  everything  was  ready,  he  could  use  his  own 
pleasure  and  manner  in  extricating  them. 

His  plan  was  doubtless  to  keep  them  where 
they  were  until  the  bandits  would  conclude  that 
they  were  dead,  and  relax  all  watch  of  the  cav- 
ern. 

Then,  on  some  dark  night,  it  would  be  no  very 
difficult  matter  to  help  them  up  from  the  depths 


104  THE  LAND  °^  WONDERS. 

and  to  place  them  on  the  mainland,  where  they 
would  be  able  to  attend  to  their  own  safety.  The 
man  who  did  all  this  must  run  great  risk  of  ven- 
geance at  the  hands  of  his  comrades,  for  it  would 
be  hard  to  conceal  the  knowledge  of  the  rescue 
from  the  others. 

Such  was  the  theory  of  Alfredo  Alfiero,  con- 
cerning the  action  and  motive  of  their  mysterious 
friend. 

A  short  while  after  the  meal  was  eaten,  they 
noticed  that  this  portion  of  the  cavern  was  becom- 
ing dark  again.  This  of  course  signified  that 
night  was  approaching  when  they  would  once 
more  be  shrouded  in  complete  obscurity. 

The  gloom  rapidly  increased,  until  they  were 
unable  to  see  each  other,  when  they  lay  down  with 
the  intention  of  sleeping  until  morning. 

They  felt  so  exceedingly  well  after  what  had 
taken  place,  and  were  in  such  very  good  spirits, 
that  the  slumber  which  came  to  them  was  like  that 
which  spread  its  wings  over  their  heads  when  they 
lay  down  in  the  forest  with  no  thought  of  dis- 
turbance or  trouble. 

They  slept  the  night  through,  and  when  Al- 
fredo opened  his  eyes,  the  first  thing  he  noticed 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  105 

was  the  sunlight  forcing  its  way  through  the  crev- 
ices overhead,  just  as  it  did  when  they  first  broke 
into  the  apartment. 

Jack  Winch  was  scarcely  a  minute  behind  his 
uncle  in  awaking,  and  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
asked : 

"  Where  is  our  breakfast?  " 

"  Are  you  hungry  ?  " 

"  I  bet  I  am." 

"  We  saved  enough  from  yesterday's  meal  to 
do  us— 

"Hello!  there  she  is!" 

The  boy  had  descried  the  morning  meal  coming 
to  them  just  as  the  meat  appeared  the  previous 
day. 

As  then,  it  was  fastened  to  a  string  and  slowly 
descending  from  one  of  the  crevices  overhead,  the 
point  being  precisely  the  same. 

As  soon  as  it  was  within  reach,  Alfredo  seized  it 
and  found  this  time  that  it  was  a  well-cooked  fish 
instead  of  meat. 

The  bottle  of  cool,  refreshing  water  was  there 
also.  The  man  was  so  grateful  that  he  called 
out: 

"  From  the  bottom  of  our  hearts    we    thank 


106  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

you !     Give  me  the  chance  and  I  will  pay  you  well 
for  this!" 

There  was  no  response  to  this  singular  recog- 
nition, but  just  then  Jack  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  there  was  a  piece  of  paper  fastened  to  the 
fish,  upon  which  there  was  some  writing  in  pencil. 

The  light  was  so  faint  that  Alfredo  struck  a 
match  and  held  up  the  piece  to  read.  Thus  it  ran : 

"  Let  not  the  senor  enter  the  cavern  a  hundred 
feet  away,  which  runs  back  from  the  right  as  you 
go  to  the  main  cavern,  and  let  Senor  Alfredo, 
under  no  consideration,  be  persuaded  to  strike  a 
match  anywhere  near  that  place.  REMEMBER  !  " 

There  was  no  name  signed. 


CHAPTER  XII 

A  TERRIFYING  DISCOVERY 

ALFREDO  and  Jack  carefully  examined  the  little 
slip  of  paper. 

The  admonition  was  certainly  a  strange  one. 
They  were  warned  against  doing  what  they  never 
dreamed  of  doing — that  is,  lighting  a  match  in  a 
certain  part  of  the  cavern. 

Whoever  their  friend  was,  he  took  great  pains 
that  no  clue  to  his  identity  should  be  obtained. 

Neither  of  the  notes  was  signed,  and  they  con- 
tained nothing  that  afforded  the  slightest  hint  as 
to  who  it  was  that  had  taken  such  an  interest  in 
them. 

They  sat  down  and  ate  their  morning  meal, 
feeling  like  two  prisoners  who  had  been  notified 
of  their  pardon. 

Now  that  this  point  seemed  to  be  established, 

and  the  friends  had  nothing  on  their  hands  except 

to  get  through  their  business  as  best  they  could, 

it  could  not  be  but  that  the  hours  should  become 

107 


io8 

heavy,  and  both  longed  for  the  time  when  they 
could  bask  in  the  full  sunlight  again. 

As  there  was  not  likely  to  be  any  harm  from 
the  thing,  Alfredo  made  the  attempt  to  open  the 
correspondence  with  the  man  who  had  taken  them 
in  charge. 

The  string  which  let  their  food  down  generally 
staid  with  them  until  some  time  during  the  night 
— that  is,  it  had  done  so  in  the  former  instance, 
when  it  was  silently  drawn  up. 

As  the  one  which  held  the  fish  was  yet  sus- 
pended over  their  own  heads,  the  conclusion  was 
reasonable  that  the  same  custom  would  obtain  in 
the  present  instance. 

Alfredo  had  no  pencil,  so  he  improvised  one, 
being  compelled  from  the  same  cause  also  to  use 
the  paper  on  which  the  words  of  the  stranger 
were  written. 

A  piece  of  whitish  earth  served  as  a  bit  of 
chalk. 

He  repeated  his  thanks  in  the  most  fervent  lan- 
guage, and  intimated,  in  terms  which  could  not 
be  mistaken,  that  whoever  was  engaged  in  this 
business  would  be  sure  to  find  it  the  best  specula- 
tion of  his  life. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  109 

It  was  signed  and  fastened  to  the  string  which 
still  dangled  above. 

This  served  to  afford  them  a  theme  for  discus- 
sion for  a  couple  of  hours,  perhaps,  which  used  it 
up,  and  they  were  thrown  on  their  own  resources 
again. 

As  a  means  of  killing  time,  and  with  a  view  of 
gaining  some  needed  exercise,  Alfredo  proposed 
they  should  make  a  sort  of  tour  through  the  other 
parts  of  the  cavern. 

"  Of  course  we  shall  have  to  be  careful  about 
it,"  said  he,  "  and  we  have  learned  to  do  that,  but 
we  shall  have  the  light  of  this  opening  to  guide  us 
back,  and  if  we  do  not  permit  ourselves  to  go  out 
of  sight  of  that,  I  do  not  see  how  we  can  go 
astray." 

The  two  set  out  to  grope  and  stumble  their  way 
through  the  cavern,  in  the  rear  of  where  they  had 
now  spent  some  time. 

The  occupation  was  not  altogether  an  unpleas- 
ant one  for  awhile,  but  Jack  became  so  fearful  of 
losing  their  way,  that  Alfredo  accepted  his  pro- 
posal to  return  and  hold  fast  to  the  security  which 
they  already  possessed  in  the  shape  of  the  supply 
of  food. 


no  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

However,  they  had  managed  to  knock  them- 
selves pretty  well  up  in  stumbling  around  the 
darkened  regions,  and  they  were  glad  enough  to 
throw  themselves  on  the  ground  and  rest  awhile. 

Here  they  lay  stretched  for  an  hour,  speaking 
occasionally,  but  without  anything  of  especial  in- 
terest occurring. 

Jack  Winch  was  lying  flat  on  his  face,  looking 
up  in  the  dim  light  at  the  string  which  hung  down 
from  some  unseen  fastening  above  their  heads. 

The  part  nearest  them — that  is,  within  reach — 
was  only  dimly  visible,  but  the  upper  portion, 
owing  to  the  increased  light,  was  seen  quite  dis- 
tinctly. 

Jack  had  no  suspicion  of  discovering  anything, 
but  was  merely  resting  his  eyes  on  this,  while  he 
indulged  in  all  sorts  of  day-dreaming. 

But  he  was  suddenly  roused  from  his  reverie 
by  noticing  an  agitation  of  the  string  in  the  upper 
part,  where  the  man  would  be  likely  to  agitate  it 
when  he  should  take  hold. 

"  I  guess  he's  there,"  said  the  boy  to  himself. 
"Anyway,  somebody  is  there,  and  he's  trying  to 
do  something." 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  nt 

This  something,  so  far  as  he  could  judge,  con- 
sisted in  nothing  more  than  drawing  up  the 
string. 

It  went  up  slowly  and  steadily  until  it  disap- 
peared altogether,  when  Jack  waited  to  see  what 
was  to  follow. 

"  I  guess  he  wants  to  get  that  letter/'  he  con- 
cluded. "  and  as  soon  as  he  reads  that,  he  will  send 
his  answer." 

Alfredo  had  not  noticed  what  took  place,  and 
Jack  thought  he  would  not  say  anything  of  it  until 
he  had  something  definite  to  tell. 

But  minute  after  minute  passed  away  without 
the  slightest  appearance  of  what  he  expected, 
and  it  began  to  dawn  through  his  mind  that  there 
was  not  likely  to  be  anything  of  the  kind  for  a 
good  while  yet. 

"  Did  you  see  that  string  as  it  went  up  ?  "  he 
asked,  in  a  low  voice;  but,  receiving  no  answer, 
he  repeated  it  in  louder  tones. 

Still  there  was  no  reply,  and  Jack  rose  and 
looked  over  to  see  what  the  matter  was. 

As  he  expected,  his  uncle  was  asleep. 

"  Well,  he  ought  to  be  able  to  stand  it  for  a 
week  without  once  closing  his  eyes,"  was  the 


Ha  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS^ 

conclusion  of  Jack.  "  Here  I'm  as  wide  awake 
as  ever,  and  he's  dreaming  again.  Hello !  " 

This  remark  was  caused  by  his  fishing  out  a 
single  match  from  his  pocket  at  the  time  he  was 
only  looking  for  his  knife. 

"  Now  that's  queer,"  he  added,  alluding  to  a 
thought  which  had  entered  his  mind  but  a  short 
time  before.  "  There's  Uncle  Frede  sound  asleep, 
and  there's  a  match,  and  there's  the  note  that  was 
sent  down  with  the  fish,  and  it  tells  uncle  not  to 
light  a  match  in  that  dark  place,  but  it  don't  tell 
me  not  to  do  it.  The  only  thing  I'm  afraid  of  is 
that  uncle  will  wake,"  he  said  to  himself,  while 
debating  the  question ;  "  and  if  he  should  happen 
to  open  his  eyes  and  not  see  me,  he  would  be 
scared  like  everything;  but  I  don't  know  as  he 
would  know  I  had  gone  there.  Yes,  I  believe 
I'll  try  it." 

He  tested  the  depth  of  Alfredo's  slumber  by 
calling  his  name  several  times  in  a  loud  voice ;  but 
not  receiving  any  answer,  he  was  quite  sure  that 
he  ran  little,  if  any,  risk. 

Consequently,  he  started  on  the  excursion, 
which  was  to  be  one  that  he  would  remember  all 
his  life. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  113 

He  recalled  the  route  so  well,  that  he  had  no 
difficulty  at  all  in  making  his  way  to  the  place. 

Here,  it  will  be  remembered,  the  darkness  was 
impenetrable,  and  he  was  forced  to  make  his  way 
along,  guided  solely  by  his  sense  of  feeling,  it  be- 
ing his  wish  not  to  strike  the  lucifer  until  he  was 
at  the  extremity  of  the  cavern. 

He  carried  other  matches  in  his  pocket,  and  had 
all  that  he  desired  in  that  respect. 

Now  that  he  was  at  the  entrance,  a  strange  feel- 
ing came  which  caused  him  to  stop  and  ask  him- 
self whether  it  was  safe  to  do  this  in  the  face  of 
the  prohibition. 

That  was  not  the  question,  however,  so  much 
as  it  was  a  certain  undefinable  dread  that  some 
awful  calamity  would  be  the  payment. 

A  long  time  he  stood  thus  debating  the  ques- 
tion, but  at  last  his  curiosity  won  the  victory. 

He  entered  the  midnight  chamber. 

Along  this  he  groped  his  way,  feeling  along  one 
of  the  walls,  until  he  was  near  the  opposite  end, 
when  he  stopped. 

"  That's  queer,"  he  said  to  himself;  "  this  don't 
feel  like  rock  all  the  way  along  here;  it  must  be 
something  else." 


n4  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

It  was  not  long  before  he  found  himself  at  the 
extremity,  beyond  which  he  could  not  go. 

"  Here  is  the  spot,"  he  whispered,  as  he  trem- 
blingly felt  for  his  lucifers : 

When  he  produced  one,  he  stood  a  minute 
longer,  afraid  to  ignite  it. 

He  was  listening  for  something  to  tell  him  if 
there  was  danger. 

"  S'pose  he's  standing  near  me,  waiting  to  kill 
me  the  minute  I  draw  the  match?  " 

The  thought  was  a  horrible  one,  and  one  which 
might  have  palsied  the  arm  of  another  boy,  but 
Jack  rallied. 

Running  his  hand  about  him  until  it  rested  on  a 
favorable  spot  on  the  wall,  he  drew  the  phos- 
phorus swiftly  over  it. 

There  followed  the  tiny  flame,  and  he  waited 
till  it  became  strong  enough,  when  he  raised  it 
over  his  head. 

On  the  left  were  the  jagged  masses  of  rock, 
just  as  he  had  seen  them  many  a  time  since  his 
arrival  below  ground. 

On  his  right  he  was  surprised  to  observe  a 
number  of  small  kegs,  arranged  one  on  top  of  the 
other,  in  a  half-dozen  rows  and  in  regular  order. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  115 

They  extended  a  distance  of  a  dozen  yards 
right  and  left. 

At  a  rough  estimate  there  must  have  been  near 
a  hundred. 

"  What's  in  them  ?  "  was  the  question  he  asked 
himself,  as  he  stood  wondering  and  awed  at  the 
sight. 

Thus  he  remained  till  the  flickering  match  told 
him  that  the  tiny  torch  was  about  exhausted, 
when  he  threw  it  to  the  ground  and  struck  an- 
other. 

This  was  held  over  his  head  in  the  same  fash- 
ion as  the  former. 

"  Kegs,  kegs,  and  nothing  but  kegs,"  repeated 
the  lad  to  himself;  "  there  ain't  anything  else,  un- 
less it's  behind  them." 

He  could  not  but  be  puzzled  at  the  sight,  for  it 
was  a  curious  one  to  look  upon  so  many  of  these 
little  barrels  ranged  so  systematically  at  this 
depth  below  ground. 

Thus  he  stood  perplexed  and  theorizing,  when 
again  the  match  burned  out,  the  first  apprisal  he 
received  being  the  scorching  of  his  fingers  that 
held  it. 

Jack  was  so  preoccupied  that  the  sudden  pain 


n6  THE  LAND.  OF.  WONDERS 

startled  him,  and  with  a  sharp  exclamation  he 
threw  the  match  far  from  him. 

The  little  blazing  bit  of  wood  went  clean  to  the 
casks,  where  it  dropped  on  the  top  of  one,  burned 
a  few  seconds,  and  then  quietly  expired. 

As  there  was  no  prospect  of  learning  anything 
by  standing  where  he  was,  he  lit  his  third  match 
and  walked  up  closer  to  the  kegs  with  the  inten- 
tion of  examining  them  more  closely. 

As  he  reached  out,  he  noticed  in  one  place 
something  like  a  mass  of  black  sand  that  seemed 
to  have  streamed  from  one  of  the  casks. 

Holding  the  match  in  one  hand,  Jack  stooped 
over  and  picked  up  some  of  this  with  the  other. 

One  quick  look  at  it  was  enough. 

It  was  gunpowder! 

At  that  moment,  when  he  stood  frozen  with 
terror,  some  one  seized  him  with  a  grip  of  iron 
from  behind. 


"ON   HIS  RIGHT  HE   WAS  SURPRISED  TO   OBSERVE  A   NUMBER  OF 
SMALL  KEGS."— PAGE   114. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

WEARY  DAYS  AND  NIGHTS 

WHEN  Jack  Winch  felt  his  arm  grasped  he  was 
only  able  to  gasp  in  his  terror,  and  to  glance 
around. 

It  was  his  uncle  who  had  slipped  up  behind 
him  and  seized  his  arm. 

Before  either  spoke,  the  man  reached  out  and 
took  the  flickering  match  in  the  other,  and  closed 
his  palm  around  it. 

It  must  have  caused  him  pain,  but  having  once 
shut  his  fingers,  he  held  them  firmly  closed  till  the 
flame  was  completely  extinguished,  and  all  danger 
was  past. 

"  Let  us  pick  our  way  out  of  here,"  said  Al- 
fredo, holding  his  hand,  "  and  step  carefully,  for 
a  spark  from  our  shoes  may  blow  the  whole 
island  into  the  heavens." 

Jack  made  no  answer,  for  he  couldn't  think  of 
117 


n8  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

anything  just  then  which  seemed  very  appropriate 
to  say. 

That  he  felt  about  as  "  cheap  "  as  a  fellow  can 
feel  must  be  apparent  to  our  readers. 

They  picked  their  way  along  the  corridor  until 
they  reached  the  camp,  where  they  sat  down  in 
the  light  to  talk  it  over. 

Jack  expected  the  sharpest  kind  of  reproof  for 
what  he  had  done,  and  he  knew  that  he  deserved 
punishment. 

His  uncle,  however,  took  a  curious  course. 

"  I  don't  know,  Jack,  but  what  I'm  rather  glad 
you  made  that  venture  as  you  did,  though  you 
can't  understand  the  awful  danger  in  which  you 
stood." 

"  What  makes  you  glad  I  did  it?  " 

"  Because  it  told  us  a  very  important  thing  to 
know,  and  no  evil  result  is  likely  to  follow." 

"  That  was  all  gunpowder,  wasn't  it  ?  " 

"  Undoubtedly  it  was,  and  there  is  enough 
there  to  blow  the  island  to  atoms.  Just  suppose 
you  had  dropped  one  of  those  matches,  what 
would  have  happened,  Jack?" 

"  That  was  the  third  match  I  had  burned  when 
you  caught  my  hand  and  put  it  out." 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  119 

"  Is  it  possible  ?"  exclaimed  Alfredo,  fright- 
ened at  the  thought ;  "  and  what  did  you  do  with 
the  other  two?  " 

"  One  of  them  I  threw  on  the  floor  right  near 
the  powder,  where  it  went  out,  and  the  other  I 
gave  such  a  flirt  that,  though  I  didn't  mean  to  do 
it,  it  landed  on  the  top  of  one  of  the  powder-kegs 


"  Good  heavens!  are  you  jesting  or  telling  me 
the  truth?"  demanded  his  horrified  uncle,  rising 
to  his  feet. 

"  Nothing  but  the  truth.  You  noticed  that  the 
way  those  kegs  are  put  in  rows,  a  part  of  each  one 
sets  out  so  as  to  leave  a  little  of  the  top  in  sight. 
Well,  one  of  the  matches  dropped  on  the  head  of 
a  keg,  and  there  it  burned  for  some  time  till  it  died 
out." 

"  You  make  me  shiver  with  horror  at  the  very 
thought.  It  may  be  that  if  either  had  burned  a 
single  second  longer,  you  and  I  and  all  on  the 
island  would  have  been  thrown  into  eternity." 

"  I  don't  think  there  was  any  more  danger  in 
that  match  than  there  was  in  the  one  that  fell  on 
the  floor,  for  the  ground  is  scattered  all  over  with 


I2o  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS, 

the  powder,  so  much  so  that  I  could  pick  it  up  in  a 
dozen  places.  Providence  alone  prevented  it." 

"  Did  you  bring  any  of  the  grains  you  had  in 
your  hand  ?  " 

"  Yes,  here  they  are  now ;  I  haven't  opened  my 
hand  since." 

Alfredo  laid  the  few  specks  on  the  ground, 
struck  a  match  and  touched  it  to  them. 

Instantly  came  the  puff,  a  flash,  and  it  was 
gone. 

"  That  shows  what  it  is.  It's  the  best  quality  of 
gunpowder,  and  there  are  hundreds  of  pounds 
there." 

"  How  did  you  know  I  was  there,  uncle?  " 

"  I  must  have  waked  up  right  after  you  left, 
and  the  minute  I  saw  you  were  away  I  suspected 
it,  and  started  off  after  you.  I  had  no  idea  what 
the  danger  was,  or  I  would  have  been  in  more  of 
a  hurry,  and  would  have  yelled  to  you  to  stop.  As 
soon  as  I  caught  sight  of  the  match  I  moved  along 
softly,  intending  to  give  you  a  good  scare  by  way 
of  punishment  for  your  trick,  but  when  I  saw  the 
kegs  I  knew  what  it  all  meant,  and  I  was  more 
scared  than  you  were.  All  I  wanted  to  do  was  to 
extinguish  the  match  in  your  hand,  and  that, 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  121 

thanks  to  heaven,  I  managed  to  do.  If  I  am  not 
mistaken,  you  are  satisfied  with  your  visit  to  the 
powder-magazine,  and  do  not  propose  to  repeat 
it;  at  any  rate  in  the  fashion  you  did  it  a  while 
ago." 

"  I  don't  think  I  will,"  said  Jack,  with  a  faint 
smile. 

And  that  was  the  only  reproof  the  boy  ever  re- 
ceived for  his  escapade. 

Alfredo  awoke  early  the  next  morning — before 
Jack  was  awake — and  his  first  proceeding  was  to 
look  not  so  much  for  his  breakfast  as  for  his  let- 
ter. 

Both  were  there,  the  meal  this  time  being  in 
the  shape  of  some  cooked  meat  and  the  usual  bot- 
tle of  water. 

The  letter  was  strange,  but  unmistakable  in  its 
meaning,  for  thus  it  ran : 

"  //  you  make  any  more  attempts  to  communi- 
cate with  me  I  shall  abandon  you  to  your  fate" 

'  That  looks  as  if  he  meant  to  hint  that  the  cor- 
respondence didn't  suit  him,"  said  Jack,  laughing 
at  the  disappointed  manner  of  his  relative. 

"  It  does  look  a  little  that  way,"  was  the  lugu- 
brious response  of  the  man;  "  at  any  rate  it  is  so 


122  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

open  to  such  a  construction  that  I  shall  decline  to 
write  him  further  unless  he  requests  it." 

"  I  think  if  I  had  a  little  start,"  said  Jack,  "  I 
could  reach  the  crack  in  the  rock  that  that  string 
comes  through." 

"  How  do  you  mean  to  do  that  ?  " 

"  The  walls  are  pretty  smooth  down  here,  but 
a  little  ways  up  they  are  so  rough,  that  I  am  sure 
I  could  hold  on  with  my  hands,  and  climb  up  to 
the  top." 

"  I  doubt  it  very  much,"  said  his  uncle,  survey- 
ing the  ascent  of  stone ;  "  here  and  there  are  pro- 
jections that  might  sustain  you,  but  they  are  too 
far  apart  to  be  of  much  assistance,  and  a  monkey 
would  have  hard  work  to  clamber  up." 

"  But  suppose  I  could,  would  you  like  me  to  do 
it?" 

"No;  I  would  not." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Our  restlessness  has  already  offended  the  man 
from  whom  we  expect  to  obtain  our  safety.  If 
you  should  succeed  in  making  the  top,  and  gain  a 
chance  to  peep  through  the  fissure  and  see  what  is 
beyond,  the  chances  are  that  you  yourself  would 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 


123 


be  seen,  and  both  of  us  be  punished  for  our  disre- 
gard of  his  wishes." 

"If  you  think  it  would  be  that  way,  then  we 
will  not  undertake  it.  S'pose  he  finds  out  about 
the  magazine?  " 

"  There  is  no  need  of  his  ever  learning  that.  I 
believe  it  would  end  all  our  hopes  forever." 

Had  the  speaker  known  of  one  half  the  means 
their  unknown  champion  possessed  of  for  learn- 
ing their  secrets,  his  consternation  would  have 
been  far  greater  than  it  was. 

Well  for  his  peace  of  mind  was  it,  for  a  time  at 
least,  that  he  remained  ignorant  on  this  point. 

One  of  the  hardest  things  in  this  world  to  at- 
tain is  a  state  of  contentment. 

When  Alfredo  and  Jack  were  at  the  point  of 
starvation,  they  wanted  nothing  but  food  and 
drink. 

When  they  came  to  them  as  the  manna  was  sent 
to  the  children  of  Israel  in  the  wilderness,  they 
were  sure  they  could  be  satisfied  to  live  for 
months,  if  not  years,  in  the  cavern,  so  long  as 
their  wants  were  attended  to  in  this  manner. 

This  was  natural,  as  was  the  feeling  of  discon- 
tent which  shortly  followed  in  its  train. 


I24  THE  LAND  °F  WONDERS 

That  their  friend  intended  at  some  time  to  open 
the  door  to  them  was  looked  upon  as  certain,  and 
now  if  they  could  only  fix  upon  the  date  they 
would  have  asked  no  more. 

They  could  begin  to  figure  on  the  days,  and  per- 
haps the  hours,  and  to  arrange  the  matters  so  as  to 
cause  their  imprisonment  to  seem  much  less  than 
now,  when  they  were  unable  to  make  a  reasonable 
conjecture  as  to  its  length. 

But  days  came  and  went,  and  still  the  supply  of 
food  did  not  fail  them,  and  still  there  was  no  sign 
from  their  friend. 

As  regularly  as  the  morning  light  did  their  pro- 
vision and  water  descend  to  them,  but  not  another 
word  from  him  who  sent  them. 

Was  this  thing  to  last  for  ever? 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  LANTERN  OVERHEAD 

SITUATED  as  were  the  two  friends  in  the  dark- 
ness and  twilight  of  the  cavern,  it  was  next  to  im- 
possible that  they  should  keep  any  correct  record 
of  the  passage  of  time. 

As  near  as  they  could  estimate,  ten  days  had 
come  and  gone  since  they  were  imprisoned  in  the 
cavern,  and  nothing  as  yet  had  taken  place  to  give 
them  an  inkling  as  to  the  time  they  were  to  be 
brought  to  the  surface  of  the  earth  again. 

Alfredo  felt  some  exasperation  against  Vega, 
the  guide,  for  his  desertion. 

The  suggestion  that  their  unknown  friend 
could  be  Vega,  made  as  it  was  by  Jack  Winch, 
was  not  accepted  by  Alfredo,  for  a  number  of 
reasons  which  were  all-sufficient  to  him. 

At  last  something  occurred  to  raise  the  hopes  of 
the  prisoners  from  the  dead  level  where  they  had 
rested  so  long. 

Alfredo  and  his  nephew  were  in  a  state  of  apa- 
125 


i26  \THE  LAND  OF.  WONDERS 

thetic  indifference,  amounting  almost  to  despair, 
when  one  morning,  as  the  boy  released  a  small  fish 
from  the  string,  he  exclaimed : 

"  Here  it  is  at  last !  Here's  a  letter  in  the  post- 
office  for  you !  " 

The  man  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant,  his  hand 
trembling  with  excitement,  as  he  reached  out  for 
the  missive. 

"  Wait  till  I  strike  a  match,"  said  he,  fumbling 
hurriedly  about  his  person  for  the  article. 

The  delay  was  exasperating,  but  he  secured  the 
additional  light  in  a  few  seconds,  and,  with  emo- 
tions which  it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  describe,  he 
read  aloud  the  following : 

"  The  rope  may  be  let  down  to-night  and  it  may 
not;  if  it  is,  fasten  it  around  your  body  and  come 
up.  After  that  the  boy  will  do  the  same.  If  things 
are  ready,  you  will  be  helped." 

This  was  the  most  important  kind  of  informa- 
tion, indeed,  and  it  set  the  two  on  the  tiptoe  of  ex- 
citement and  expectation. 

"  I  knew  it  would  come,"  said  Jack,  with  a 
glowing  face.  "  He  has  had  to  keep  us  waiting 
all  this  time  till  he  could  be  sure  the  coast  was 
clear,  as  father  used  to  say." 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  127 

"  It  seems  he  isn't  sure  it  is  clear  as  yet." 

"  How  is  that,  uncle?" 

"  Don't  you  notice  he  says  in  his  letter  that  the 
rope  may  be  let  down  and  it  may  not  ?  He  would 
not  speak  so,  if  the  way  was  open  for  him  to  help 
us." 

"  I  guess  it  is  clear,  but  he  isn't  quite  ready  him- 
self." 

No  one  who  has  not  been  through  a  somewhat 
similar  experience  can  understand  the  wearisome 
waiting  through  the  day  and  night  for  the  hour  to 
come  when  the  prisoners  were  to  go  free. 

They  had  dwelt  in  the  cavern  long  enough  to 
learn  to  abominate  it  with  an  unspeakable  loath- 
ing. 

The  hollow  stillness,  the  brooding  twilight, 
walled  in  by  the  blackness  of  darkness,  the  gloom 
everywhere,  the  absence  of  birds,  and  beasts,  and 
trees,  and  flowers,  arid  the  bright  glare  of  the  sun, 
with  the  flash  of  the  water,  and  the  blue  sky — all 
these  deprivations  made  up  a  total  that  would 
have  driven  both  mad  but  for  the  expectation  that 
each  new  day  would  be  the  last. 

The  hours  dragged  along  with  indescribable 
heaviness  until,  as  Jack  expressed  it,  after  the 


128  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

passage  of  what  seemed  a  week,  the  shadows  of 
overhead  began  to  deepen,  and  the  darkness  of 
night  gradually  filled  the  cavern. 

The  note  named  no  hour  when  they  should  look 
for  the  coming  of  their  friend,  so  they  were 
obliged  to  keep  unremitting  watch. 

Where  all  was  blank  darkness,  it  will  be  seen 
that  it  was  necessary  that  both  should  be  prepared 
at  any  moment  for  some  sort  of  signal. 

That  they  might  not  miss  it,  it  was  agreed  that 
Jack  should  sleep  the  first  half  of  the  night  and 
Alfredo  the  remainder. 

The  boy  lay  awake  much  longer  than  he  ex- 
pected, but  finally  dropped  into  a  doze. 

Alfredo  then  rose  and  began  walking  along  a 
small  beat  that  had  become  as  familiar  to  him  as 
his  own  garden  at  home. 

He  paced  slowly  back  and  forth,  the  stillness  in 
which  he  was  shrouded  being  like  that  of  the 
tomb. 

Every  few  minutes  he  paused,  and  looked  up  in 
the  gloom  at  the  point  from  which  he  expected  the 
rope  to  come. 

He  knew  at  last  that  the  turn  of  night  had  come 
and  gone,  and,  according  to  his  agreement  with 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  129 

Jack  Winch,  he  ought  to  awake  him  and  change 
places  with  him. 

But  he  felt  no  disposition  to  sleep,  and  still 
hoped  that  it  might  be  his  lot  to  wake  the  little 
fellow  with  the  announcement  that  he  was  to 
make  ready  to  leave  their  cavern  prison. 

"Hello!" 

The  call  came  from  Jack,  who  had  awakened 
of  his  own  accord,  his  mind  being  so  impressed 
with  that  duty  that  he  was  roused  by  the  action  of 
the  brain  itself. 

"  I  am  here,"  replied  his  uncle. 

"  Haven't  3^ou  heard  or  seen  anything?  " 

"  Nothing  at  all ;  and,  as  it  is  after  midnight,  I 
don't  believe  WTC  will  receive  a  chance  to  do  any- 
thing for  another  day." 

"  We  can't  tell ;  but  it's  my  turn  to  stand  watch, 
and  I  want  you  to  lie  down  and  give  me  your 
place." 

"  Be  sure  and  keep  awake  as  I  have  done." 

"  You  needn't  be  afraid  of  my  not  doing  that ;  I 
have  had  all  the  sleep  I  want,  and  couldn't  keep 
my  eyes  closed  any  longer  if  I  wanted." 

"  You  may  feel  different  in  the  course  of  a  few 
hours.  The  only  safety  you  can  have  is  to  keep 


I3o  'THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

walking  back  and  forth  as  I  did.     Will  you  do 
that?" 

"  That's  just  what  I  meant  to  do  all  the  while, 
whether  you  said  anything  about  it  or  not." 

"  If  you  will  be  sure  to  keep  that  up  till  day- 
light, there  will  be  no  risk  in  leaving  you  as  senti- 
nel." 

Jack  Winch  at  once  started  off  like  a  veteran  at 
the  business,  and  Alfredo  lay  awake  some  time 
listening  to  the  soft  tramping  of  his  small  feet  on 
the  flinty  floor. 

It  grew  to  be  something  like  music  to  him,  and 
before  he  suspected  it,  he  was  as  sound  asleep  as 
was  Jack  himself  a  short  time  before. 

Young  Jack  Winch  proved  himself  equal  to  the 
task,  and  through  the  remaining  hours  of  the 
night,  he  never  once  paused  in  his  walking  to  and 
fro,  except  now  and  then  to  listen  for  the  signal 
he  so  longed  to  hear. 

But  it  did  not  come;  and  to  his  dismay  he  dis- 
covered the  gray  light  of  morning  stealing  into 
the  cavern  once  more,  when  his  uncle  Frede 
awoke.  Alfredo  was  sure  that  something  had 
taken  place  to  cause  the  man  to  postpone  the  de- 
livery until  some  other  night. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  13! 

"  But  there  may  be  some  message  with  our  pro- 
visions," he  added,  as  the  string  was  seen  descend- 
ing from  the  roof  again. 

So  there  proved  to  be.   The  message  ran : 

"  Expect  me  before  midnight;  you  will  know 
the  time  by  the  light  of  a  lantern  overhead." 

"  The  hardest  thing  to  do  is  to  wait  till  then," 
said  Jack,  "  there  are  about  twenty  hours,  ain't 
there?" 

"  Very  nearly,  though  there  is  a  possibility  that 
the  time  may  be  shortened,  as  he  said  we  were  to 
expect  him  before  midnight." 

"  Then  we  will  do  all  the  sleeping  we  can  to- 
day, and  both  of  us  will  keep  watch." 

"  That's  the  idea  exactly.  I  will  make  a  run  on 
a  few  stories  again  and  keep  it  up  till  I  get  tired, 
for  you  will  never  weary  of  that  sort  of  non- 
sense." 

It  would  weary  the  reader  were  we  to  spend 
any  more  words  in  describing  how  the  two  prison- 
ers worried  through  the  long  hours  of  the  for£ 
noon  and  afternoon. 

Night  came  again,  at  last. 


I32  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

Both  were  in  a  good  condition  to  keep  awake 
all  night,  if  necessary. 

The  watchers  were  on  the  qui  vive  of  expecta- 
tion, talking  in  low  tones  and  in  a  disjointed  way, 
that  their  words  might  not  interfere  with  any  sig- 
nal their  friend  might  choose  to  use. 

"  If  he  comes  before  midnight,"  said  Jack,  "  he 
will  have  to  come  very  soon,  for  the  night  must  be 
far  along." 

"  I  s'pose  that  is  so Hello!  see  there!  " 

The  eyes  of  both  were  instantly  fixed  on  the 
roof  overhead. 

They  were  fixed  there,  we  say,  for  the  roof  was 
becoming  visible. 

Beyond  all  mistake,  it  was  growing  light  in 
that  section. 

The  glow  continued  to  increase  until  it  was  cer- 
tain that  that  which  caused  it  was  almost  within 
sight. 

They  were  still  staring  in  breathless  expecta- 
tion, when  there  came  a  flash,  and  a  small  lantern 
came  to  view  over  the  edge  of  the  fissure  through 
which  all  their  provisions  had  found  their  way. 

Still  looking  and  staring  with  the  most  intense 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 


'33 


anxiety,  they  saw  the  next  moment  a  strong 
buffalo  rope  beginning  to  make  its  way  slowly 
down. 


CHAPTER  XV 

ON  THE  LAKE 

STEADILY  the  rope  descended  from  the  crevice 
overhead,  while  the  glare  from  the  lantern  threw 
an  illumination  over  the  eager,  expectant  faces  of 
Alfredo  Alfiero  and  Jack  Winch,  whose  gaze  was 
fixed  on  what  they  believed  was  their  earthly  sal- 
vation. 

Nothing  could  be  seen  of  the  man  directing 
these  proceedings  at  the  other  end  of  the  rope,  but, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  he  must  be  there. 

The  distance  was  so  short  that  in  a  few  minutes 
the  end  of  the  thong  rested  on  the  floor  of  the 
cavern,  when  Alfredo  seized  it  and  began  fasten- 
ing the  end  around  his  waist. 

It  continued  to  come  until  there  was  more  than 
enough,  and  it  required  but  a  short  time  for  him 
to  secure  himself  in  such  a  way  that  he  was  in  a 
condition  to  be  lifted  hundreds  of  feet  instead  of 
a  little  more  than  a  score. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  135 

"  I  wouldn't  go  first,  if  such  was  not  his  order," 
said  Alfredo,  while  waiting  for  the  hoisting  to  be- 
gin. 

"  What's  the  odds?  One  of  us  must  go  before 
the  other,  and  I  won't  have  to  wait  long  before  I'll 
follow." 

"  I  hope  not,"  responded  his  uncle,  in  a  voice 
which  showed  he  was  not  fully  satisfied  on  that 
point. 

"  He's  going  to  give  you  enough  time  to  tie 
yourself  as  fast  as  you  want  to,  isn't  he?  " 

"  That  is  right,  but  I  hope  he  won't  leave  me 
standing  here  till  morning  before " 

The  cord  suddenly  tightened,  and  the  active 
Alfredo  assisted  all  he  could  in  the  upward 
progress. 

In  a  very  short  time  his  feet  were  clear  of  the 
floor,  and  he  waved  a  laughing  good-by  to  Jack, 
who  began  to  sink  out  of  his  reach. 

The  boy  felt  some  uneasiness  as  he  saw  his 
friend  gradually  going  up  in  a  balloon,  as  it  were. 

"  Sposing  they  won't  let  him  come  back,  and 
don't  send  for  me,"  he  muttered,  with  a  shudder  ; 
"  I  won't  be  able  to  live  here  alone,  if  they  do  send 
me  all  I  want." 


136  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

Jack  never  removed  his  eyes  from  his  friend  as 
he  slowly  went  up. 

When  Alfredo  came  near  enough  to  reach  the 
crevice  from  which  hung  the  lantern,  he  did  so, 
and  pulled  himself  up  into  the  opening. 

Jack  saw  him  make  his  way  through,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  he  vanished. 

"  Now  will  be  my  turn,"  muttered  the  lad,  with 
a  movement  of  expectant  delight,  "  and  then  we 
will  get  out  of  this  place  in  a  hurry." 

Jack  Winch  was  not  tortured  by  waiting  a  long 
time,  for  within  three  minutes  the  rope  reappeared 
and  was  soon  within  reach. 

He  fastened  it  around  his  body  in  a  jiffy. 

"  All  right  here !  "  called  out  the  happy  fellow. 
"Why  don't  you  pull  up?" 

He  ought  not  to  have  called  out,  but  he  couldn't 
help  it,  and,  as  it  proved,  it  made  no  difference. 

The  strain  on  the  rope  increased,  and  the  boy 
began  to  ascend. 

When  he  was  a  short  ways  above  the  floor,  he 
found  he  was  able  to  help  himself  by  clinging  to 
the  projections  already  mentioned,  and  his  anxi- 
ety led  him  to  do  all  he  could  in  this  manner.  - 

Jack  elevated  his  head  and  strained  his  vision 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 


137 


to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  crevice  where  the  lantern 
was  suspended. 

Perhaps  it  was  because  he  was  so  much  lighter 
than  the  other  that  he  was  drawn  up  more  rapidly. 

Just  before  reaching  the  lantern,  he  saw  a  hand 
suddenly  shoved  outward  and  downward — the 
light  was  seized  and  whisked  out  of  sight. 

This  left  Jack  in  perfect  darkness  again,  which 
was  not  pleasant,  though  he  gave  it  no  thought. 

He  felt  himself  still  going  up,  and  by-and-by 
he  caught  hold  of  the  edge  of  the  fissure. 

It  required  but  a  few  seconds  for  him  to  obtain 
a  foothold,  but  where  his  eyes  were  of  no  use  he 
waited  for  directions. 

Hearing  and  feeling  no  one,  he  asked,  in  an  un- 
dertone : 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?  I  am  here  and  ready." 

"  Don't  speak,"  was  whispered  to  him  by  some 
one  whom  he  judged  to  be  Alfredo. 

At  the  same  time  his  hand  was  grasped,  and 
after  creeping,  groping,  and  being  led  a  short  dis- 
tance further,  he  felt  the  cool  air  of  night  fanning 
his  face,  and  looking  up,  he  saw  the  stars  twink- 
ling in  the  sky. 

The  sight  was  such  a  blessed  one  that  it  seemed 


138  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

more  than  he  could  do  to  restrain  himself  from 
crying  out  for  very  joy. 

He  was  on  the  surface  of  the  earth  again,  and 
the  cave,  with  all  its  hateful  memories,  was  under 
his  feet. 

Understanding  his  emotions,  his  uncle  whis- 
pered : 

"  If  you  make  any  noise  it  may  be  the  death  of 
us!" 

Thus  warned,  the  lad  had  no  difficulty  in  hold- 
ing his  peace. 

In  the  gloom,  Jack  was  able  to  see  two  forms 
near  him. 

One  was  his  uncle,  of  course,  while  the  other 
must  have  been  their  unknown  friend,  who  had 
been  so  deliberate  in  all  he  did  for  their  benefit. 

His  relative  took  the  hand  of  Jack,  and  the 
other  began  moving  along,  with  the  two  follow- 
ing. 

The  stillness  above  the  earth  was  almost  like 
that  within  it. 

The  gentle  breeze  which  was  blowing  rustled 
the  leaves  slightly,  and  now  and  then  the  soft  rip- 
ple of  the  water  was  heard  on  the  beach. 

Their  guide  wore  a  long  Spanish  cloak  thrown 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  139 

around  his  shoulders,  so  that  no  glimpse  of  his 
features  would  have  been  obtainable  had  there 
been  enough  of  light  from  the  sky  to  permit  it. 

Alfredo  felt  that  he  could  afford  to  wait. 

Time  would  explain  it  all,  if  he  would  but  have 
patience. 

They  had  not  yet  reached  the  water,  when  a 
flash  of  lightning  suddenly  streamed  across  the 
black  sky  which  had  been  overcast  in  the  space  of 
a  few  minutes. 

Scarce  a  second  behind  it  came  the  sharp  crack 
of  thunder,  which  showed  that  it  was  close  at 
hand. 

There  could  be  no  doubt  that  a  violent  tropical 
storm  was  coming,  and  would  soon  be  upon  them. 

With  the  next  resounding  peal  their  guide 
stopped  abruptly  and  stared  as  if  uncertain  what 
he  ought  to  do.  Alfredo  ventured  to  step  nearer 
to  him  and  to  say,  hurriedly : 

"  Whatever  you  do,  I  beg  you  not  to  leave  us 
on  the  island;  we  are  not  afraid  to  cross  the  lake 
in  the  storm,  if  you  will  give  us  the  boat  to  do  it 
with." 

"  You  talk  too  much,"  said  the  gruff  stranger, 
moving  noiselessly  forward  again. 


I4o  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

A  few  minutes'  progress  in  this  fashion  brought 
them  to  the  water's  edge,  their  route  having 
been  revealed  to  the  two  followers  by  the  light- 
ning. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  lake  all  three  stood  a 
few  minutes  in  silence. 

Alfredo  was  in  a  fever  of  apprehension  that, 
owing  to  the  coming  storm,  the  man  was  afraid  to 
venture  out  upon  the  water. 

Their  guide  remained  quiet  a  few  minutes 
longer,  and  then  said: 

"  Stay  here  till  I  come  back." 

And  with  this  parting  warning  he  turned  about 
and  the  lightning  showed  him,  just  at  the  mo- 
ment he  was  disappearing  in  the  wood  and  under- 
growth of  the  bank  above. 

"I  never  felt  so  much  tempted  to  disobey  any 
one  as  I  do  to  disregard  what  he  said,"  remarked 
Alfredo,  when  he  was  gone.  "I  believe  that  if  I 
had  a  boat  at  command  I  would  leave  the  island 
without  waiting  for  him  to  come  back." 

"  What  makes  you  in  such  a  hurry,  uncle?  " 

"  Because  the  bandits  are  here  on  the  island  in 
the  usual  force." 

"  Are  you  only  waiting  for  a  boat  ?  " 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  141 

"  That  is  all." 

"  I  think  I  saw  one  a  few  minutes  ago,  a  little 
way  up  the  bank." 

"  Is  that  so  ?  Just  slip  up  there  and  make  sure." 

The  lightning  was  so  incessant  now  that  Al- 
fredo was  able  to  trace  the  figure  of  the  boy,  while 
he  moved  along  the  margin  of  the  lake. 

He  had  gone  but  a  short  ways  when  another 
flash  showed  that  he  was  right  in  his  supposition. 

Glancing  a  short  distance  ahead  of  him,  Al- 
fredo saw  a  canoe  which  looked  very  much  like 
the  one  in  which  he  had  crossed  the  lake  himself. 

In  a  brief  time  Jack  had  hold  of  it  and  began 
dragging  it  along  the  margin,  it  being  so  light 
that  it  floated  in  the  shallowest  water. 

"  Is  the  paddle  there  ?  "  asked  his  uncle,  as  he 
joined  him. 

"  I  didn't  think  of  that." 

Stooping  over  the  boat,  a  hasty  search  proved 
that  the  indispensable  article  was  missing. 

"  It  won't  do  to  go  without  it,  when  such  a 
storm  is  rising.  If  the  night  was  calm,  I  wouldn't 
be  so  particular." 

Both  made  their  way  to  the  spot  where  the  boat 


I42  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS, 

was  first  moored,  and  there,  after  a  little  search, 
the  oar  was  found. 

A  few  seconds  brought  them  back. 

"  Now  if  there  was  any  certainty  that  he  would 
be  back  in  a  short  time,"  said  Alfredo,  alluding  to 
their  friend,  "  I  would  wait  for  him ;  but  the  lake 
is  becoming  so  dangerous  that  if  we  tarry  long  we 
shall  be  kept  back,  no  one  can  tell  how  long." 

"  Don't  let  us  wait." 

"  Get  in  then." 

The  boy  took  his  place  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe, 
and  Alfredo,  shoving  it  clear  of  the  land,  sprang 
in  after  him. 

Then  the  craft  was  headed  toward  the  main 
shore  and  the  voyage  began. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

ANNIHILATION 

THE  wind  had  already  raised  waves  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  lake,  which  rendered  it  dangerous  for 
the  most  skillful  to  venture  upon  it. 

Alfredo  did  not  hesitate. 

He  bent  to  his  paddle,  feeling  that  every  minute 
now  might  decide  their  fate. 

A  small  tornado  sent  the  mist  flying  in  their 
faces,  and  swerved  the  boat  so  far  around  that,  be- 
fore they  could  prevent  it,  the  bow  was  driven 
against  the  sand  on  the  beach. 

Undismayed,  however,  Alfredo  made  another 
start,  and  soon  had  the  canoe  well  out  upon  the 
lake. 

As  before,  he  bent  all  his  strength  and  skill. 

From  the  moment  they  left  the  Haunted  Island 
the  storm  seemed  to  increase  in  violence  and  fury. 

The  frail  craft  was  tossed  up  and  down  like  an 
egg-shell  in  the  breakers,  and  the  wind  was  fre- 
'43 


I44  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

quently  so  powerful  that  it  was  driven  far  out  of 
its  course. 

"  Hold  on!  "  called  out  the  man  to  Jack;  "  and 
keep  yourself  ready  at  any  instant  to  swim." 

"  I'll  grab  hold  of  the  canoe  if  we  go  over/' 
shouted  back  the  lad,  as  cool  as  a  veteran. 

There  was  no  lack  of  light  to  guide  them  on 
the  way. 

The  lightning,  which  was  now  in  every  part  of 
the  heavens,  not  only  revealed  the  island  they 
were  trying  to  leave  behind  them,  but  it  showed 
in  the  distance  the  mainland  that  they  were  striv- 
ing so  desperately  to  reach. 

Again  and  again  the  fugitives  in  the  little  canoe 
saw  the  trees  on  the  island  and  mainland  shivered 
and  splintered  to  atoms  by  the  falling  thunderbolt, 
and  the  scene  was  so  grand  and  sublime  in  its  aw- 
ful might,  that  they  were  awed  by  it ;  though  they 
had  witnessed  many  similar  exhibitions  before 
this  memorable  night. 

The  first  real  shock  which  they  received  was 
when  the  electric  fluid  struck  the  water  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  their  boat. 

The  concussion  was  so  great  that  Alfredo 
dropped  the  paddle  and  fell  over,  nearly  going 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  145 

overboard,  while  Jack  dropped  forward  with  a 
shudder,  and  lost  his  senses  for  a  few  minutes. 

Both  soon  recovered,  and  as  the  paddle  was  still 
within  reach,  the  man  seized  it  and  renewed  his 
efforts. 

"  That  was  as  close  as  I  wanted  it  to  come," 
said  he  to  Jack,  who  was  a  little  dazed  from  his 
shock. 

"I  thought  we  were  struck,"  he  answered; 
"  and  are  you  sure  we  ain't  ?  " 

"  No;  we  are  still  safe,  but  the  atmosphere  is 
boiling  over  with  electricity,  and  it  is  hitting  right 
and  left  so  fast  on  the  land  that  I  suspect  we  are 
about  as  safe  here  as  anywhere." 

Now  the  boat  was  heading  for  the  mainland, 
and  the  next  second,  a  flame  of  fire  would  show 
that  the  prow  was  twisted  around,  and  they  were 
making  straight  for  the  island  again. 

Then,  again,  a  tornado  burst  would  carry  it 
skimming  over  the  surface  like  a  bird,  darting 
hither  and  thither  in  very  wantonness. 

Why  and  how  it  was  that  the  canoe  held  to- 
gether was  a  mystery. 

Suddenly  the  boy  called  out : 

"  They  have  seen  us!  " 


146  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

His  relative  knew  what  he  meant,  and  holding 
his  oar  motionless,  turned  his  terrified  looks  in 
the  direction  of  Haunted  Island. 

There,  sure  enough,  he  descried  the  figures  of 
several  of  the  bandits  moving  back  and  forth,  as  if 
in  great  excitement. 

The  sight  caused  him  to  exert  his  utmost  ener- 
gies again  towards  shortening  the  distance  be- 
tween the  shore  and  his  boat. 

From  some  cause  the  bandits  did  not  start  in 
pursuit. 

The  violence  of  the  storm  was  such  that  they 
believed  the  fugitives  would  never  succeed  in 
reaching  safety. 

"  Keep  your  eye  on  them,"  yelled  Alfredo  to 
Jack,  "  and  when  they  make  a  move,  let  me 
know." 

"  They  are  doing  it  now,"  was  the  startling  re- 
sponse. 

Such  was  the  fact. 

The  Mexicans  must  have  seen  that  there  was  a 
possibility  of  their  victims  getting  away,  and  they 
began  launching  a  canoe. 

Alfredo  and  Jack  had  not  so  much  as  a  gun  or 
pistol  between  them. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS,  I47 

The  bandits  were  indisputably  the  superior 
oarsmen,  and  would,  no  doubt,  impel  their  canoe 
straight  after  the  fugitives. 

How  were  the  latter  to  elude  them? 

The  two  said  nothing,  for  Alfredo  felt  that  it 
was  do  or  die  with  him,  and  he  had  no  time  except 
for  the  most  desperate  kind  of  work. 

The  storm,  terrific  as  was  its  fury,  seemed  to  in- 
crease. 

Suddenly  the  canoe  seemed  to  be  lifted  bodily 
from  the  water,  and  was  carried  along  with  incon- 
ceivable swiftness  directly  towards  the  mainland. 

The  fugitives  were  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  mist 
and  spray  that  completely  blinded  them,  and  al- 
most swept  away  their  breath. 

Before  they  could  rightly  comprehend  what 
had  taken  place  they  found  themselves  struggling 
in  the  water,  the  canoe  overturned  and  shattered, 
and  torn  out  of  all  semblance  to  its  original  self. 

Accidentally  Jack  Winch  succeeded  in  carrying 
out  his  expressed  intention. 

He  caught  hold  of  the  largest  portion  of  the 
boat. 

"  I  see  you,"  called  out  Uncle  Frede,  at  the  mo- 


148  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

ment  he  grasped  the  same  support ;  "  we  will  hold 
on  for  the  present." 

The  tornado  in  which  they  were  caught  carried 
them  so  near  the  mainland  that  they  found  them- 
selves enveloped  by  the  branches  of  limbs  and  up- 
rooted trees  that  had  been  carried  into  the  lake. 

The  bandits  having  seen  them  in  one  spot, 
which  the  man  was  striving  so  desperately,  yet 
vainly,  to  leave,  looked,  when  the  next  lightning 
flame  appeared,  in  the  same  place  for  them. 

Nothing  of  them  or  the  canoe  could  be  dis- 
cerned. 

The  conclusion  was  inevitable  that  they  had 
been  swamped  and  drowned  by  the  tornado. 

The  outlaws,  therefore,  after  searching  for 
some  time  for  them,  turned  their  boat  about  and 
put  back  to  the  island. 

Thus,  by  the  overturning  of  their  canoe,  Al- 
fredo and  Jack  were  saved. 

"  The  gale  can't  last  a  great  while,"  said  he  to 
the  boy.' 

The  prophecy  about  the  storm  was  not  imme- 
diately verified,  for  the  lightning,  if  possible,  be- 
came more  terrible  than  ever. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  149 

The  only  difference  perceptible  was  that  it  ap- 
peared to  be  shifting  its  centre. 

Instead  of  being  immediately  over  the  heads  of 
the  fugitives  in  the  lake,  it  was  moving  off  toward 
the  island  and  the  country  opposite  from  where 
our  friends  were  afloat  in  the  water. 

The  scene  in  that  part  of  the  sky  was  simply  in- 
describable, and  Alfredo  and  Jack  held  their 
breath  in  witnessing  the  most  tremendous  thun- 
derstorm they  had  ever  looked  upon. 

If  all  this  was  awful  in  its  sublimity,  what  shall 
be  said  of  that  which  now  followed  ? 

The  two  were  looking  toward  the  Haunted  Is- 
land when  a  roar  suddenly  broke  upon  their  ears 
like  that  of  ten  thousand  Niagaras,  and  where  the 
lightning  had  been  darting  incessantly  for  the  past 
half-hour,  a  sheet  of  flame,  rods  in  width  and 
height,  spread  out  like  an  immense  fan,  and  went 
up,  up,  up,  till  it  seemed  to  reach  the  very  heavens. 

Here  and  there  in  this  expanse  of  vivid  fire 
were  discerned  huge  black  masses  ascending  like 
rocks  thrown  out  from  the  throat  of  Vesuvius. 

The  lake  itself  responded  to  the  wonderful 
shock  which  tore  the  earth  as  if  with  an  ague. 

An  immense  wave  sped  quickly  over  the  water, 


I5o  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

almost  strangling  the  two  fugitives  as  it  shot  over 
their  heads  and  rushed  affrighted  against  the 
shore. 

By  some  means  a  bolt  of  electricity  had  found 
its  way  to  the  magazine  stored  in  the  founda- 
tions of  the  island. 

The  whole  mass  was  exploded,  and  the  Haunted 
Island  was  no  more. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

SURVEYING    THE    RUINS — A    VISITOR    FROM    OVER 
THE    LAKE 

IT  WAS  some  time  before  they  recovered  their 
senses  enough  to  understand  what  had  taken 
place. 

The  waves  rushed  tumultuously  from  the  is- 
land, sweeping  fiercely  from  the  shore  and  back 
again  here  and  there,  as  if  flying  in  blind  terror 
from  some  unknown  foe. 

The  broad  fan-like  sheet  of  flame  which  shot 
upwards  was  one  of  an  intense  vivid  brightness, 
broken  only  by  the  dark  bodies  which  it  drove  up- 
wards and  carried  with  it. 

Then  for  a  while  the  air  was  filled  with  de- 
scending missiles,  which  fell  into  every  portion  of 
the  lake. 

They  were  of  all  sizes  and  dimensions. 

There  were  thousands  of  pebbles,  as  it  may  be 
said,  which  dropped  into  the  water  like  a  shower 
of  sand. 


152  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

There  were  larger  masses,  from  those  weighing 
a  few  pounds  to  those  of  a  score  and  a  hundred, 
and  scores  and  hundreds  of  tons. 

Many  were  carried  beyond  the  lake,  even,  and 
fell  on  the  land  beyond. 

Several  enormous  masses  struck  the  water  sur- 
rounding the  two  men. 

One  dashed  against  the  shore  a  short  distance 
beyond. 

Then  came  darkness  again. 

With  the  destruction  of  Haunted  Island,  the 
storm  seemed  to  be  satisfied,  for  it  began  to  abate 
at  once. 

The  lightning  was  less  and  the  flashes  were 
fainter,  while  the  rain  that  had  begun  to  descend 
soon  abated. 

By  the  time  the  two  were  fairly  themselves 
again  the  storm  had  almost  ceased. 

"  Jack,"  called  out  his  uncle,  "  we  are  close  to 
land ;  let  us  swim  as  hard  as  we  can,  and  we  will 
soon  be  there." 

"  It's  so  dark  that  I  can't  tell  where  it  is,  and 
I'm  afraid  to  let  go  and  swim,  for  fear  I'll  go 
wrong." 

"I  don't  mean  you  shall  let  go,  but  use  your 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  153 

legs  as  best  you  can,  and  I'll  steer  toward  the 
shore." 

"  All  right,"  responded  the  lad,  with  some  of 
his  natural  vivacity. 

The  raft  was  headed  right,  and  the  two  labored 
with  might  and  main. 

A  few  fitful  flashes  of  lightning  showed  they 
were  close  to  land,  and  after  a  few  minutes'  hard 
work,  their  feet  touched  bottom  and  they  walked 
out. 

Once  upon  shore  they  sat  down  and  were 
silent  for  a  time. 

Jack  Winch  was  the  first  one  to  speak,  and 
when  he  did  so,  it  may  be  said  that  the  storm  had 
entirely  disappeared. 

The  wind  had  fallen,  and  about  all  the  sound 
that  reached  their  ears  to  tell  of  what  had  been 
going  on  was  the  plashing  of  the  waves  against 
the  beach  at  their  feet. 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  any  danger  of  the  Mexi- 
cans following  us  ?  " 

"  No ;  they  have  all  preceded  us — to  death." 

"  Don't  you  s'pose  that  one  of  them  escaped?  " 

"  No ;  the  destruction  was  so  complete,  so  over- 
whelming, that  there  must  have  been  no  chance 


I54  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

for  any  one  on  the  island.     If  we  had  remained, 
our  fate  would  have  been  the  same." 

"  The  man  who  took  us  out  of  the  cavern,  then, 
has  shared  the  same  fate  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  see  how  he  saved  himself.  The  ex- 
plosion was  so  sudden,  that  there  was  no  time  to 
guard  against  it." 

"  It  was  the  lightning,  I  s'pose?  " 

"  It  must  have  been." 

"  What  can  we  do  ?  " 

"  We  are  in  no  need  of  hurrying  away,  since 
we  can  have  no  pursuers,  but  as  soon  as  daylight 
comes  we  will  make  a  start  for  Vera  Cruz,  and 
keep  it  up  till  we  get  there." 

"Where  is  Vega?" 

"  You  know  as  much  about  that  as  I  do,  but  the 
chances  are  all  against  our  seeing  him  again.  I 
suspect  he  was  on  the  island,  and  has  gone  up 
with  the  rest." 

"  There  can't  be  much  left  of  the  island." 

"  I  doubt  whether  there  is  any  at  all,  but  we 
shall  soon  see,  for  there  are  signs  of  day  in  the 
east." 

They  were  wet  to  the  skin  from  their  long  stay 
in  the  water,  but  they  were  not  specially  uncom- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  155 

fortable,  as  the  weather  was  warm  and  they  were 
accustomed  to  such  exposure. 

When  sunlight  at  last  streamed  across  the 
water,  and  they  saw  all  the  results  of  the  explo- 
sion, an  exclamation  of  amazement  escaped  them. 

The  Haunted  Island  had  disappeared ! 

Where  the  extremity  of  the  island  had  been 
was  visible  a  small  point  of  rock,  sticking  several 
feet  above  the  water. 

This  was  all  that  showed  even  where  the  re- 
markable body  had  stood  in  the  past. 

It  was  like  a  headstone  which  the  lightning  had 
left  standing  to  tell  the  world  what  it  could  do 
when  it  aimed  at  anything  in  earnest. 

It  was  hard  to  realize  that  such  a  mass  of  land, 
studded  with  trees,  and  rocks,  and  vegetation, 
had  vanished  so  suddenly  from  the  face  of  the 
earth,  but  such  was  the  fact. 

With  it  must  have  gone  the  outlaws  that  had 
made  it  their  headquarters  for  so  long  a  time." 

The  evidence  of  this  came  to  the  fugitives  while 
they  were  standing  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  and 
looking  across  to  the  centre. 

The  water  was  still  filled  with  floating  wood, 


I56  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

and  while  Alfredo  was  gazing  off  over  the  sheet, 
Jack  asked,  in  an  undertone : 

"  What's  that,Uncle  Frede?  " 

As  he  spoke,  he  pointed  to  the  water  just  be- 
low them. 

A  glance  told  the  truth. 

Drifting  along  the  shore,  tossed  to  and  fro  by 
the  waves  which  were  still  rising  and  falling,  were 
a  number  of  black  objects,  which  at  a  distance 
looked  like  logs  floating  on  the  water. 

A  little  closer  inspection,  however,  showed 
them  that  they  were  the  bodies  of  the  bandits. 

There  were  about  a  dozen  in  all,  distinguished 
at  varying  distances  along  the  margin  of  the  lake. 

Doubtless  there  were  others  further  off,  but 
they  were  not  desirous  of  inspecting  them. 

Those  that  were  within  plain  sight  were  seen 
to  be  swollen,  horribly  discolored  and  disfigured 
by  the  explosion,  so  that  no  one  would  have  ven- 
tured nearer  them,  unless  compelled  to  do  so  by 
necessity  or  humanity. 

It  occurred  to  Alfredo  that  there  might  be  some 
of  his  enemies  that  had  escaped,  and  his  occupa- 
tion was  that  of  scanning  the  shores  with  his 
glass  in  quest  of  such  survivors. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  157 

His  supposition  was  that  some  of  the  bandits 
were  on  the  mainland,  and  were  saved  in  that 
way. 

He  did  not  deem  it  possible  that  any  one  on  the 
island  could  have  saved  himself  from  the  effects 
of  the  terrific  explosion. 

"  Do  you  see  any  one?  "  asked  Jack,  when  this 
visual  search  had  lasted  some  ten  or  fifteen  min- 
utes. 

"  Not  a  living  creature,  excepting  a  wild  ani- 
mal that  a  few  minutes  ago  came  down  to  the 
edge  of  the  water  to  get  a  drink.  It  must  be  that 
the  explosion  has  scared  away  everything." 

"  How  long  do  you  mean  to  stay  here?  " 

"  Not  long ;  are  you  hungry  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit,  we  ate  so  much  before  we  started, 
and  then  I  s'pose  what  we  saw  has  taken  away 
all  the  appetite  I  had  left." 

"  You  see,  we  have  a  long  ways  to  travel  yet, 
and  I  am  in  hope  that  some  one  will  put  in  an  ap- 
pearance." 

"  So  you  can  engage  him  ?  " 

"  Either  that  or  secure  his  assistance  in  the  way 
or  guns  for  ourselves.  We  cannot  get  along  with- 
out such  weapons." 


158  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

"  Are  we  more  likely  to  meet  what  we  want  by 
staying  here  than  by  going  on?  " 

"  I  don't  s'pose  we  are ;  but  you  have  keener 
eyes  than  I,  and  I  wish  you  would  take  the  glass 
for  awhile  and  see  whether  you  can't  find  some 
such  fellow  for  me." 

Jack  did  as  requested,  climbing  to  the  top  of  a 
rock  near  at  hand,  so  as  to  give  him  as  extended 
a  field  as  possible. 

Sitting  down  here  he  went  at  the  task  of  mak- 
ing observations,  like  one  who  was  determined  to 
get  all  there  was  out  of  it. 

Alfredo  watched  him  with  much  interest,  for  he 
had  great  faith  in  the  keen  eyesight  of  the  boy. 

Jack  Winch  slowly  moved  the  glass  along  the 
opposite  shore,  dwelling  long  enough  by  the  way 
to  take  in  every  portion. 

Alfredo,  who  was  scrutinizing  the  instrument, 
saw  it  stop  in  this  circle  and  rest  for  a  minute  per- 
fectly stationary,  just  as  if  some  suspicious  object 
had  been  discerned. 

"Well,  Jack,  what  is  it?"  asked  he,  in  a  loud 
voice. 

"  Can't  tell  yet." 

"Is  it  anything?" 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  159 

"  You  bet  it  is." 

"Man,  or  animal,  or  tree?  " 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  he  answered,  looking  more 
intently  towards  the  point  than  before. 

Alfredo  was  impatient  to  know  what  it  was, 
but  he  held  his  peace  until  the  lad  called  out : 

"  Hurrah !  I  see  a  man." 

His  uncle  was  at  his  side  in  a  minute,  with  the 
glass  in  hand. 

"  Show  me  where  he  is." 

The  boy  indicated  the  point,  and  the  glass  was 
turned  in  that  direction,  and  he  scrutinized  the 
man  with  great  interest. 

Jt  took  but  a  minute  to  see  that  the  lad  was 
right. 

Near  a  large,  flat  rock,  on  the  other  side  the 
land  and  under  the  shadow  of  a  large  tree,  a  man 
was  standing,  and  seemingly  looking  across  the 
water,  where  he  was  being  studied  with  so  much 
interest. 

Having  made  sure  that  there  was  one  there, 
Alfredo's  next  effort  was  to  ascertain  whether 
there  were  any  more  near  him. 

So  far  as  he  could  ascertain,  this  was  the  only 


i6o  FHE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

one  beside  themselves  who  was  standing  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake. 

Such  being  the  fact,  as  it  appeared,  he  signaled 
to  him,  in  the  hope  of  persuading  him  to  come 
across. 

This  was  done  by  waving  his  hat  above  his 
head,  and  calling  out  in  as  loud  voice  as  he  could 
command. 

It  was  some  time  before  the  stranger  seemed  to 
comprehend  what  was  meant  by  the  signals,  but 
finally  he  made  a  response  by  swinging  his  own 
sombrero. 

Even  then  Alfredo  was  in  doubt  whether  the 
man  intended  to  do  as  he  wished. 

But  all  doubt  was  removed  by  seeing  him  walk 
down  to  the  edge  of  the  water  and  enter  a  canoe, 
which  up  to  that  moment  was  undiscovered  by  our 
friends. 

"  He  is  coming,"  said  Alfredo,  lowering  his 
glass,  "  and  we  shall  get  some  knowledge  that  I 
am  very  anxious  to  obtain." 

"  It  may  be  of  no  use  to  us.  S'posing  he's 
some  hunter  that  heard  the  noise  and  has  come  to 
find  out  what  it  means  ?  " 

"  Then  he'll  be  just  the  fellow  we  want  to  meet; 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  161 

he  will  have  something  to  tell  us  which  will  be  of 
considerable  account." 

"If  he  keeps  on  and  comes  to  us,  and  don't 
get  scared  and  turn  back."' 

"  There's  no  fear  of  that;  he's  heading  straight 
for  us." 

"  Let  me  take  a  look  at  him,"  added  Jack,  when 
the  man  had  advanced  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  way. 

The  glass  was  handed  to  the  boy,  who  turned  it 
towards  the  boat,  and  the  next  minute  called  out : 

"Hurrah!     It's  Vega,  our  guide!" 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

A  CURIOUS  REGION THE  RECONNOISSANCE 

"  JACK,"  said  his  uncle,  "  if  that  is  Vega — and 
you  seem  to  have  no  doubt  on  that  point — we  will 
take  him  once  more,  and  start  on  our  way  home. 
He  cannot  but  know  all  that  has  taken  place,  and 
we  will  say  nothing  to  him  about  it,  for  the  rea- 
son that  he  cannot  explain  satisfactorily  the  part 
he  has  played.  He  may  be  able  to  do  something 
for  us,  and  we  will  try  and  feel  thankful  for  his 
company." 

The  boy  promised  to  remember  his  uncle's 
wishes.  A  few  minutes  later,  the  guide  landed 
at  the  base  of  the  rock  whereon  they  were  stand- 
ing. 

He  was  grinning  all  over  his  sunburnt  counte- 
nance, and  he  shook  both  warmly  by  the  hand  and 
expressed  his  pleasure  at  meeting  them  again. 

"  I  was  afraid  you  would  get  into  trouble  with 
the  Mexicans,  and  not  be  able  to  find  your  way 
out,"  said  he,  after  the  first  greetings. 
162 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  163 

"  We  did  get  into  considerable  trouble,"  replied 
Alfredo,  dryly,  "  but  Providence  favored  us,  and 
we  were  able  to  get  out  again." 

"  You  must  have  left  the  island  just  in  time?  " 

"  So  it  seems,  for  if  we  had  staid  any  longer 
there  wouldn't  have  been  any  island  to  support 
us." 

"  No,"  added  Vega,  with  a  horrified  look  be- 
hind him.  "  It  was  the  most  awful  thing  I  ever 
saw.  A  spark  of  lightning  got  in  among  the 
powder  that  was  stored  there,  and  blew  it  all  up. 
I  have  seen  the  eruptions  of  a  dozen  volcanoes  in 
my  time,  but  there  was  not  one  of  them  as  dread- 
ful as  that." 

Jack  noticed  that  their  guide  had  two  guns  in 
the  canoe,  as  well  as  one  in  his  hand. 

The  lad's  surprise  increased  when  he  recog- 
nized one  of  them  as  his  own,  which  he  had  parted 
with  nearly  two  weeks  before. 

"  Where  did  you  get  them  ?  "  asked  Alfredo, 
when  his  attention  was  called  to  the  fact. 

"  I  managed  to  obtain  them  of  a  friend,  though 
I  had  great  difficulty  in  doing  so.  He  told  me  to 
keep  them,  as  you  might  turn  up  some  day,  and 
would  be  in  want  of  them." 


164  THE  LAND  OP  WONDERS 

"That  is  very  fortunate,  indeed,"  remarked 
his  employer,  stepping  to  the  side  of  the  boat  and 
picking  them  out.  "  You  have  ammunition,  and 
we  shall  be  in  a  better  situation  than  I  expected." 

"  Yes,  I  was  fortunate  in  finding  them,  and 
now,  I  suppose,  you  are  ready  to  start  on  your 
way  to  Vera  Cruz  again  ?  " 

"Yes ;  I  have  seen  all  I  want  of  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  wish  we  were  safe  at  home  this  very 
minute." 

"  We  shall  be  there  within  a  week." 

"  Is  it  possible  to  obtain  mules?  " 

"  Yes,  but  they  cannot  be  used  with  advantage 
till  we  get  further  on  our  way." 

"How  much  further?" 

"  Well,  if  we  are  not  delayed,  we  shall  reach  a 
point  in  the  course  of  a  couple  of  days  where  we 
can  use  the  animals  very  well." 

"  And  when  we  reach  that  point,  will  there  be 
some  way  to  buy  the  animals  ?  " 

"  Leave  that  to  me,"  was  the  assuring  answer. 

All  this  being  understood,  there  was  no  reason 
for  further  delay,  and  the  two  signified  that  they 
were  ready  to  go  ahead  and  were  waiting  only  for 
Vega  to  take  the  lead. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  165 

The  guide  stepped  to  the  front  at  once,  and 
headed  in  a  northerly  direction,  striking,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  minutes,  a  well-marked  path 
which  had  escaped  their  notice  until  this  moment. 

By  the  time  they  were  fairly  underway,  Jack 
woke  to  the  fact  that  he  was  in  need  of  food,  and 
upon  making  a  remark  to  that  effect,  he  was 
pleased  to  find  that  his  relative  was  alive  to  the 
same  deficiency  concerning  himself. 

Vega,  upon  being  notified  of  this  condition  of 
things,  asked  them  to  wait  a  while,  when  they 
would  reach  a  spot  much  more  favorable  for  a 
halt  and  camp  than  any  near  them. 

This  was  gladly  agreed  to,  and  the  march  was 
continued. 

The  route  was  uneven  as  ever,  and  it  was  no- 
ticed by  Alfredo  and  his  little  companion  that 
their  long  rest  in  the  cavern,  where  they  were  de- 
prived of  the  invigorating  sunlight,  had  so  weak- 
ened them  that  they  felt  the  fatigue  much  more 
than  would  have  been  the  case  a  fortnight  before. 

Vega  observed  their  weariness,  and  timed  his 
gait  to  suit  them. 

The  sun  was  nearly  overhead  when  they  struck 
a  small  stream  of  clear,  running  water,  where 


1 66  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

Vega  announced  that  they  would  stop  as  long  as 
they  wished. 

"  That  will  be  long  enough  to  get  a  good  dinner 
and  rest,"  said  Alfredo. 

"  The  dinner  will  soon  be  here,"  was  the  re- 
sponse of  the  guide,  who  threw  his  rifle  over  his 
back  and  started  off  in  quest  of  game. 

In  the  course  of  two  or  three  minutes  he  van- 
ished from  view,  and  there  was  no  telling  when 
he  would  return  again. 

"  He  doesn't  say  a  word  about  our  being  in  the 
cavern,"  whispered  Jack,  a  few  minutes  after  his 
disappearance,  "  and  I  wonder  whether  he  knows 
anything  about  it  himself." 

"  How  can  he  help  it?  Of  course  he  does,  and 
he  says  nothing,  because  there  is  nothing  for  him 
to  say.  He  is  well  aware  that  he  has  played  a 
cowardly  part,  and  one  that  is  not  susceptible  of 
explanation." 

"  Isn't  this  a  queer  country  where  we  have 
stopped?  "  asked  the  boy,  looking  about  him. 

"  We  have  not  met  with  anything  of  the  kind 
before,"  answered  his  uncle. 

What  attracted  Jack's  attention  was  a  growth 
of  tall,  dry  weeds,  of  a  dull-brown  color,  and  so 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  167 

dry  that,  when  struck  so  as  to  bend,  the  reeds 
would  break  off  like  dry  splinters. 

Here  and  there  through  it  were  interspersed 
green  vegetation,  but  the  tall,  parched  grass 
greatly  predominated,  and  must  have  extended  a 
long  distance,  as  they  traveled  through  it  for  a 
half-hour  before  stopping  to  camp. 

Jack,  was  so  interested  that  he  tramped  some 
distance  to  where  he  saw  a  slight  elevation,  and 
made  his  way  to  the  top  of  that,  in  order  to  make 
an  observation. 

When  he  came  back,  at  the  end  of  a  few  min- 
utes, his  uncle  inquired  what  discoveries  he  had 
made. 

"  Two  or  three,"  he  answered.  "I  find  that  tall, 
dry  grass  reaches  very  far — as  far  almost  as  I  can 
look,  excepting  off  yonder,  where  there  are  those 
green  hills  that  you  can  see  from  here." 

Alfredo  looked  at  the  latter,  and  said  they  were 
all  of  three  miles'  distance,  and  it  was  towards 
them  that  Vega  had  gone  in  quest  of  game. 

"What  else  did  you  find?" 

"  Why,  right  at  the  base  of  those  hills,  when  I 
was  looking  through  the  glass,  I  saw  a  cabin." 


168  THE  LAND  OZ  WONDERS. 

"Ah,  that's  of  more  account;  and  did  you  no- 
tice anything  special  concerning  it  ?  " 

"  There  was  smoke  coming  out  the  chimneys, 
and  so  there  must  be  some  one  inside." 

"  You  saw  no  one  else  there?  " 

"  No ;  how  could  I,  as  long  as  they  staid  in  the 
house  ?  " 

Alfredo  now  strode  off  toward  the  elevation, 
followed  by  the  boy. 

The  dwelling  which  so  interested  them  was 
small  and  conical  in  shape,  resembling  the  lodge 
of  the  American  Indian. 

It  seemed  to  have  been  constructed  by  uniting 
a  number  of  saplings  at  the  top,  with  the  lower 
ends  spread  apart,  and  these  were  covered  with 
bark  and  skins. 

Through  a  small  opening  in  the  top  ascended  a 
thin  column  of  blue  vapor,  showing  very  plainly 
that  some  one  must  be  within. 

"What  do  you  think  about  it?"  asked  Jack, 
when  they  had  stared  until  there  was  nothing 
more  to  see. 

"  Well,  there  isn't  much  to  think ;  but  I  had  a 
suspicion  that  this  might  be  the  dwelling-place  of 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  rfg 

one  of  those  fellows  who  was  killed  on  the  is- 
land." 

"  They  would  have  learned  it  by  this  time,  for 
the  noise  wrould  have  waked  them  if  they  were  a 
dozen  miles  off." 

"  You  are  right  there;  and  that  makes  it  likely 
that  I  was  wrong  in  my  suspicion." 

"  Let's  go  over  to  it  and  see  what  it  is,  and  who 
is  there." 

Alfredo  was  inclined  to  follow  the  suggestion 
of  Jack  at  first,  but,  on  reflection,  he  concluded 
that  it  would  be  foolish,  for,  before  they  could 
get  back,  Vega  would  be  likely  to  put  in  an  ap- 
pearance. 

As  they  had  not  heard  the  gun  of  the  guide 
since  his  departure,  the  two  friends  remained 
where  they  were,  to  watch  the  dwelling,  in  the 
hope  of  learning  something  more  about  its  occu- 
pants. 

In  this  they  were  disappointed. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

WALLED  IN  BY  FIRE 

ALFREDO  and  Jack  were  quite  confident  that, 
upon  their  return  to  camp,  they  would  find  Vega, 
the  guide,  awaiting  them  with  a  savory  dinner. 

To  their  great  disappointment  nothing  was  seen 
of  him,  and  they  were  forced  to  nurse  their  hun- 
ger against  his  return. 

Had  the  character  of  the  country  been  different 
from  that  already  described,  the  two  would  have 
started  out  on  a  hunting  excursion  of  their  own; 
but  they  were  afraid  of  losing  their  way;  and,  in 
view  of  the  possible  proximity  of  some  of  the  out- 
laws whom  they  were  so  anxious  to  escape,  it  was 
wisely  concluded  to  stay  where  they  were. 

"  We'll  wait  here  till  he  comes  back,"  said  the 
man ;  "  provided,  of  course,  we  don't  have  to  wait 
too  long." 

"  It  must  be  that  game  is  scarce,  for  he 
wouldn't  stay  when  he  knows  how  hungry  we 

are." 

170 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  171 

When  the  afternoon  was  nearly  half  gone,  Al- 
fredo rose  to  his  feet. 

"  My  opinion  is,  that  there  is  no  use  in  waiting 
any  longer  for  the  coming  of  Vega." 

"  That's  what  I  have  been  thinking  for  the  last 
half-hour  or  more.  I  believe  there  are  a  good 
many  ways  of  dying  better  than  starving  to 
death." 

Jack  had  also  risen  to  his  feet,  and  they  made 
as  if  to  start. 

Before  them  was  a  path  which  had  been  worn 
by  the  feet  of  animals  or  men — most  probably  the 
former  in  coming  down  to  the  stream  to  get  water 
to  drink. 

They  moved  a  short  distance  along  this,  when 
Alfredo  stopped  and  snuffed,  as  though  he 
smelled  something  unusual. 

"  Do  you  notice  anything  in  the  air?  "  he  asked, 
turning  towards  his  companion. 

"  Yes,  there's  something  burning." 

"  You're  right ;  the  grass  is  on  fire!  " 

This  was  alarming  news  indeed ;  the  two  were 
in  the  very  middle  of  the  tract,  the  dry  grass  sur- 
rounding them  for  miles. 

The  man  stood  for  a  minute  staring  wildly  here 


172  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

and  there,  uncertain  for  that  time  what  he  ought 
to  do,  and  yet  fully  aware  that  something  must  be 
done  without  delay. 

"  I  thought  I  would  burn  the  grass  ahead  of  us, 
but  there  isn't  a  breath  of  air  stirring,  and  I 
doubt  whether  it  would  help  us  any." 

"  Hadn't  we  better  try  it?  " 

"  I  don't  know  but  what  you  are  right ;  you 
have  matches,  so  you  may  make  the  attempt." 

Jack  felt  in  his  pockets  for  the  lucifers  with  a 
strong  suspicion  that  he  had  used  his  last  one 
some  time  before. 

This  suspicion  was  verified  when  he  came  to 
make  the  search,  he  not  being  able  to  find  a  single 
one  in  his  possession. 

"  I  haven't  any,"  he  replied,  "  so  while  I  get  a 
lot  of  the  grass  pulled  and  tied  together,  so  as  to 
give  it  a  good  start,  you  can  make  ready  to  touch 
it  off." 

As  he  spoke  he  acted  upon  his  own  proposal, 
and  busied  himself  in  preparing  the  material, 
which  really  needed  little  if  any  preparation  for 
the  flame. 

This  took  but  a  minute  or  two,  for  the  fears  of 
the  lad  were  excited,  and  he  worked  with  a  will. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  173 

The  smoke  that  had  alarmed  them  was  growing 
thicker  and  heavier  with  each  passing  moment, 
and  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  the  flames,  from 
whatever  direction  they  were  coming,  were  rap- 
idly approaching. 

When  Jack  Winch  was  through,  he  turned 
about,  and  called  out: 

"  All  is  ready ;  now,  fetch  on  your  matches,  and 
we'll  soon  have  a  bonfire  of  our  own  under  way, 
and  then  they " 

He  suddenly  paused,  startled  at  the  looks  of  his 
Uncle  Frede.  The  latter  was  standing  as  rigid 
as  if  smitten  with  death. 

His  face  was  white  like  that  of  a  corpse,  and  he 
was  staring  at  the  boy  as  if  he  did  not  hear  the* 
words  addressed  him. 

"  Why,  Uncle  Frede,  what  is  the  matter  ?  "  he 
asked,  in  alarm. 

The  answer  was  a  terrible  one,  coarse  and 
husky  of  tone,  as  if  it  were  uttered  by  another 
person. 

"  /  haven't  a  single  match  in  my  possession! " 

Darting  forward  to  where  the  grass  had  been 
twisted  together  by  the  lad,  Alfredo  stooped  down 
and  placed  his  gun  among  it. 


I74  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

He  pulled  the  trigger.  But  instead  of  a  report, 
the  dull  click  of  the  lock  was  heard. 

With  a  gasp  of  terror,  he  raised  the  hammer 
again,  and  looked  at  the  tube  where  the  percussion 
cap  should  have  been.  There  was  none  there ! 

A  hasty  examination  showed  that  the  gun  was 
unloaded ! 

"  Quick,  Jack !  "  he  called  out ;  "let  me  have 
your  rifle;  Vega  has  the  ammunition  with  him, 
and  there  is  no  time  to  load  mine  if  I  had  it." 

Jack  passed  his  gun  over,  and  Alfredo  held  it 
down  and  repeated  his  attempt. 

The  same  useless  click  followed  the  pulling  of 
the  trigger ! 

"  My  God !  "  gasped  the  horror-stricken  man ; 
"  there  is  no  load  in  either !  It  is  a  plot  of  Vega 
to  destroy  us." 

So  it  seemed,  indeed,  and  the  two  were  helpless 
with  terror  and  despair. 

For  a  time  neither  stirred  nor  spoke. 

By  this  time,  too,  they  caught  the  crackling  of 
the  flames,  which  showed  how  fearfully  near  they 
had  approached. 

It  was  simple  instinct  that  came  to  the  boy 
sooner  than  to  the  man,  and  which  led  him  to 


THE  LAND  OF.  WONDERS\  175 

spring  up  and  seize  the  arm  of  his  uncle,  and 
fairly  scream: 

"  Don't  let  us  stay  here;  we  shall  be  burned  to 
death  if  we  do.  The  fire  is  right  there  behind 
us ;  let's  run  as  fast  as  we  can,  and  maybe  it  won't 
overtake  us." 

"  There  is  no  use,"  was  the  helpless  reply;  "  we 
are  doomed." 

"  You  told  me  only  a  short  time  ago  that  you 
would  never  doubt  Providence  again,  after  what 
He  had  done  for  us.  Come  on,  then,  and  let  us 
try  and  save  ourselves !  " 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  LAST  DESPAIRING  EFFORT 

"  FASTEN  your  rifle  to  your  back  where  it  will 
be  out  of  the  way,"  he  said  to  Jack,  setting  the 
example. 

"  I  don't  believe  we  have  time,"  replied  the  boy, 
who,  nevertheless,  busied  himself  with  the  task. 

"  We  must  take  time,  then ;  we  parted  with 
them  once,  and  I  don't  intend  it  shall  be  done 
again,  even  though  we  have  no  powder." 

"  If  we  must  run,"  said  Alfredo,  "  there  is  but 
the  one  course  we  can  take,  and  I  do  not  think 
that  will  be  open  long." 

"  Yes,  Uncle  Frede,  and  please  don't  wait  any 
longer." 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  keep  up  with  me?  " 

"  Yes,  and  run  ahead  of  you." 

"  Very  well ;  I  will  take  the  lead,  but  I  will  keep 
watch  that  I  do  not  lose  you.     If  you  find  there's 
176 


THE  LAND  OF.  WONDERS  177 

any  danger  of  my  getting  out  of  your  sight,  just 
let  out  a  yell  and  I  will  stop." 

With  this  parting  instruction  Alfredo  moved 
off  on  the  race  for  life. 

The  gait  which  the  two  struck  was  a  sort  of 
dog-trot  that  they  were  capable  of  keeping  up  for 
an  unlimited  period. 

It  was  the  best  they  could  have  adopted,  pro- 
vided there  was  no  need  of  headlong  haste. 

When  they  had  run  a  short  time,  the  boy  called 
out: 

"  Uncle  Frede,  can't  you  go  faster  ?  The  fire 
is  getting  close  to  me." 

"From  what  direction?"  asked  his  relative, 
glancing  backward,  without  increasing  his  speed 
in  the  least. 

"  From  behind." 

"  And  it  is  gaining  on  me  in  front;  and  so,  you 
see,  if  I  hurry  away  from  that  in  the  rear,"  he 
added  with  a  grim  humor,  "  it  will  only  result  in 
the  sooner  meeting  that  in  front.  I  guess,  there- 
fore, that  it  will  be  as  well  to  keep  along  in  the 
old-fashioned  way." 

Which  he  proceeded  to  do. 

Poor  Jack  was  fairly  frantic  with  terror. 


178  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

The  flames  were  so  close  behind  him  that  he 
felt  their  heat,  and  he  saw  that  his  uncle  had 
spoken  the  truth  about  their  advance  from  the 
other  direction. 

He  wondered  how  it  was  his  relative  kept  so 
quiet  and  cool  in  the  face  of  such  appalling  dan- 
ger. 

He  did  not  suspect  that  it  might  be  the  stolid 
indifference  of  despair. 

The  wind  which  Alfredo  spoke  of  was  felt 
stronger  and  stronger  as  they  advanced,  showing 
that  had  they  possessed  the  means  of  kindling  a 
counter-flame,  there  would  have  been  no  difficulty 
in  checkmating  their  relentless  enemy. 

Suddenly  a  furious  rolling  was  heard,  like  the 
noise  of  thunder  along  the  clear  sky. 

Alfredo  did  not  look  around  to  learn  what  it 
meant. 

But  the  affrighted  Jack  glanced  over  his  shoul- 
der, knowing  from  the  sound  that  the  cause  was 
behind  them. 

There  were  huge  forms,  like  those  of  wild  ani- 
mals, plunging  along  at  headlong  speed  in  the 
vain  attempt  to  escape  from  the  pursuing  flames. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  179 

There  seemed  to  be  a  score  of  them,  and  Jack 
called  out  in  his  terror : 

'*'  Look  out,  Uncle  Frede;  there's  a  whole  drove 
of  buffaloes  or  elephants  tearing  along  behind  us." 

"  What  do  I  care  ?  "  replied  the  man,  without 
making  the  least  attempt  to  avoid  them. 

The  wild  beasts,  whatever  they  were,  were 
tearing  along  at  a  rate  which  speedily  brought 
them  up  with  the  human  fugitives. 

Had  there  been  more  of  the  brutes,  no  doubt 
they  would  have  trampled  the  man  and  boy  to 
death. 

There  were  so  few  that  they  were  not  forced 
irresistibly  on  by  the  multitude  in  the  rear,  and 
when,  therefore,  they  saw  the  strange  creatures 
before  them,  they  swerved  to  one  side  and  passed 
them  by. 

They  went  plunging  onward  at  a  rate  that 
speedily  took  them  out  of  the  sight  of  the  fugi- 
tives, who  were  still  at  it  in  a  way  that  appeared 
as  if  they  believed  they  had  a  whole  day  before 
them  in  which  to  make  all  their  arrangements  for 
escape. 

The  path  became  more  indistinct,  and  it  was 
hard  to  keep  it. 


i8o  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS, 

Made  as  it  was  by  the  converging  animals  on 
their  way  to  the  stream,  it  gradually  grew  less 
marked  as  the  distance  from  the  water  increased. 

At  no  great  ways  it  must  disappear  altogether. 

It  was  not  hard  to  pick  one's  path,  but  it  be- 
came so  nearly  obliterated,  that  Alfredo  very  soon 
gave  over  all  attempt  to  stick  to  it,  and  went 
straight  ahead  without  any  regard  to  where  his 
steps  led  him. 

Seeing  this,  Jack  Winch  slipped  forward  beside 
his  uncle  and  ran  his  hand  within  his. 

"  We  may  as  well  stick  together,"  he  said,  look- 
ing up  in  his  face.  The  man  gazed  fondly  down 
again,  and  pressed  the  little  hand  that  rested  so 
reposingly  within  his  own. 

"  We'll  die  together!  "  was  the  response,  as  he 
pressed  the  fingers. 

They  continued  some  distance  further  in  silence 
and  paying  little  attention  to  the  flames  around 
them. 

Now  and  then  they  caught  the  sound  of  terri- 
fied hoofs  as  they  went  careering  across  the  coun- 
try, shooting  by  them  with  a  speed  which  soon 
carried  them  out  of  sight  in  the  tall  grass  beyond. 

Several  times  some  of  these  sped  by  so  close 


'JACK!  JACK!  WHERE  ARE  YOU?'  CALLED  OUT  THE 
ALARMED  ALFREDO."— PAGE  182. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  181 

that  they  grazed  the  elbow  of  man  or  boy,  and  the 
escape  was  narrow  indeed. 

The  fugitives  had  become  accustomed,  in  a  cer- 
tain sense,  to  danger,  and  they  paid  no  heed  to 
these  causes  for  alarm  save  to  glance  at  them  just 
before  they  disappeared  in  front. 

All  that  they  were  concerned  in  was  the  prog- 
ress made  by  the  fire. 

Events  moved  far  more  swiftly  than  we  can 
describe  them.  When  a  puff  of  wind  brought  so 
much  smoke  around  in  their  faces  that  the  fugi- 
tives were  blinded  for  the  moment,  and  nearly 
strangled,  they  felt  that  the  enemy  was  fairly 
upon  them,  and  that  the  race  was  nearly  ended. 

It  was  a  blind  animal  instinct  that  led  them  to 
drop  the  dog-trot  they  had  kept  up  so  long,  and 
resort  to  a  dead-run. 

"Keep  it  up!"  called  out  Jack;  "maybe  we 
can  make  it." 

"  Let's  see  who  can  run  the  fastest,"  called 
back  his  relative,  more  with  the  object  of  pleasing 
him  than  through  any  hope  that  good  could  result 
therefrom. 

They  started  off  side  by  side,  there  being  no 
use  of  keeping  their  hands  clasped. 


1 82  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

As  Alfredo  anticipated,  his  nephew  led  him  at 
the  start,  and  placed  himself  so  far  in  front  that 
the  man  was  forced  into  a  "  spurt  "  to  escape  be- 
ing left  behind  altogether. 

Once  more  they  were  side  by  side,  and  before 
Alfredo  was  aware  of  it,  he  had  placed  himself  in 
front  of  the  little  fellow.. 

"  Come  on,"  he  called  out,  without  looking 
back ;  "  I  shall  leave  you  far  behind  if  you  don't 
hurry." 

There  was  no  answer,  and  the  man  slackened 
up  his  speed  so  as  to  bring  the  little  fellow  along- 
side of  him  again. 

He  did  not  appear,  and  Alfredo  looked  back 
and  asked  :  "  Have  you  tired  so  soon !  " 

There  was  no  reply  to  this,  and  the  terrified 
glance  of  the  uncle  failed  to  show  him  anything 
of  the  boy. 

"Jack!  Jack!  where  are  you?"  called  out  the 
alarmed  Alfredo,  who  saw  the  flames  so  close  be- 
hind that  he  knew  a  few  moments'  delay  must  be 
fatal. 

There  was  some  sort  of  an  answer,  but  it  came 
from  his  left  instead  of  from  the  other  ear,  and  he 
did  not  catch  what  it  was. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  183 

His  ear  told  him  the  point,  however,  and  he 
looked  in  the  right  direction. 

Instead  of  Jack,  he  saw  the  figure  of  a  man, 
rushing  along  through  the  grass  like  a  terror- 
stricken  bull  that  feels  the  blistering  flames  upon 
his  flanks. 

The  man  seemed  to  be  stooping  forward,  and 
carried  something  in  his  arms. 

"  Hello,  Uncle  Frede,  this  way !  " 

It  was  Jack  Winch  who  shouted  to  him,  and 
with  the  shout  came  the  discovery  that  the  man 
whom  he  saw  running  with  such  desperate  haste 
was  carrying  in  his  arms  his  young  companion. 

"  Yes ;  come  this  way — it  is  your  only  chance !  " 

This  was  the  adult  who  said  these  words,  and, 
despite  the  terrific  din,  tumult  and  confusion,  Al- 
fredo recognized  the  form  and  voice  as  belonging 
to  Vega,  the  guide. 

It  was  he  who  dashed  along  behind  them,  and 
catching  up  the  lad  in  his  arms,  sped  forward  like 
a  deer,  calling  on  the  man  to  follow  as  hard  after 
him  as  he  knew  how  to  do. 

Alfredo  did  not  stop  to  think.  Indeed,  he  had 
no  time,  but,  turning  in  his  course,  he  dashed  af- 
ter the  guide,  whom  he  believed  a  few  minutes 


1 84  THE  LAND  OF.  WONDERS 

before  had  deliberately  planned  the  whole  thing, 
that  he  might  encompass  their  death. 

He  had  never  before  seen  Vega  run  to  the  top 
of  his  bent,  and  he  was  now  given  an  opportunity 
to  admire  his  astonishing  speed. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

FIRE  AND  WATER 

ALFREDO  was  pretty  well  exhausted  from  his 
severe  exertions  before  making  this  final  spurt, 
but  he  was  inspired  by  the  desperate  hope  which 
makes  the  weakest  the  strongest. 

For  a  time  he  ran  with  such  success  that  he  held 
his  own  and  kept  close  behind  the  mountaineer, 
who  was  certainly  doing  his  utmost  to  get  the  two 
beyond  the  danger  of  being  burned  to  death. 

The  pace  was  a  killing  one,  and  Alfredo  was 
not  long  in  finding  that  it  could  not  be  maintained. 

With  a  strange  horror  which  cannot  be  ex- 
plained, he  saw  Vega  gradually  disappear  in  the 
grass  ahead,  bearing  the  lad  as  a  tiger  would  have 
sped  forward  with  its  young. 

The  thick  smoke  was  all  around,  and  Alfredo 
could  scarcely  see  where  he  was  going. 

What  mattered  it  whether  he  saw  or  not  ? 

He  caught  the  sound  of  the  crackling   flames 
behind  him,  and  saw  them  on  his  right  and  left. 
185 


186  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

Still  he  did  not  stop  running. 

There  was  a  sort  of  mitigation  of  his  torture 
so  long  as  he  kept  in  motion,  and  it  was  that 
which  urged  him  forward  more  than  any  belief 
that  he  could  do  himself  good  by  the  effort. 

He  was  speeding  he  knew  "not  whither,  and  he 
did  not  care. 

"  God  be  thanked !  the  boy  will  be  safe,"  he 
murmured  to  himself. 

All  at  once  his  foot  caught  in  some  obstruction 
and  he  fell  forward  on  his  face. 

He  started  to  get  up  again,  when  the  thought 
came  that  it  was  foolish  to  do  so. 

He  was  so  wearied  now  that  he  was  scarcely 
able  to  stand,  and  he  sank  back  upon  the  ground 
again. 

"  Uncle  Frede,  where  are  you  ?  What  are  you 
doing?  Why  don't  you  hurry  here  to  us?  " 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  voice,  and  he 
called  back : 

"Are  you  safe,  Jack?" 

'  Yes,  of  course  we  are ;  hurry  and  come  here. 
We  ain't  far  off!" 

Alfredo  staggered  to  his  feet,  and  stared  wildly 
around. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  187 

Smoke  and  fire  everywhere,  and  he  could  see 
nothing  distinctly. 

"  I  am  shut  in  by  the  flames!  "  he  called  back; 
"  I  can't  see  where  you  are ;  there's  no  way " 

Just  then  some  one  caught  him  by  the  collar  of 
his  coat,  and  he  was  jerked  so  violently  off  his 
feet  that  he  stumbled  to  the  ground. 

But  he  seemed  to  be  in  the  grip  of  a  giant,  who 
dashed  away  with  the  same  headlong  speed  that 
had  marked  the  first  attempt  to  escape. 

The  reply  which  Alfredo  sent  back  gave  to 
Vega  a  true  idea  of  the  situation,  and  leaving  the 
lad  where  he  was,  he  bounded  forward  to  the  res- 
cue of  the  man. 

How  was  he  to  outrun  the  fire,  burdened  as  he 
was  with  the  weight  of  a  man  as  large  as  himself? 

He  was  not  attempting  to  do  that. 

He  had  another  scheme  for  the  safety  of  the 
imperiled  Alfredo. 

The  latter  could  scarcely  understand  what  took 
place,  he  was  so  upset  by  the  rush  and  swirl  of  in- 
cident and  the  blinding  masses  of  smoke  which 
were  rolling  over  them. 

When  he  fell  forward  in  response  to  the  savage 
grip  upon  his  coat,  he  tried  his  best  to  regain  his 


188  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

feet,  but  was  unable  to  do  so,  on  account  of  the 
superior  speed  of  the  man  who  was  dragging  him 
in  this  summary  fashion. 

After  two  or  three  attempts  he  gave  over  the 
effort,  and  allowed  things  to  take  their  own 
course. 

Then  followed  a  hurried  larruping  through  the 
tall  grass,  with  the  smoke  so  thick  about  him  that 
he  could  only  see  the  brawny  legs  of  the  guide, 
who  was  dragging  with  all  his  tremendous 
strength  and  speed. 

When  this  had  lasted  some  minutes,  and  Al- 
fredo was  about  to  make  another  effort  to  regain 
his  feet  with  the  idea  of  assisting  the  man,  he  felt 
himself  suddenly  raised  in  the  air  and  flung  out- 
ward. 

When  he  came  down  he  landed  plump  into  the 
water,  and  went  under  some  distance. 

This  bath  was  so  unexpected  to  the  man  that  he 
was  strangled  for  a  few  seconds,  but  he  quickly 
rallied  and  came  to  the  surface. 

Then  it  was  that  he  understood  for  the  first 
time  what  had  taken  place. 

Vega,  the  guide,  seeing  the  impossibility  of  es- 
cape by  flight,  instantly  turned  all  his  efforts  to- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  189 

ward  reaching  a  pool  of  water  which  fortunately 
was  at  no  great  distance. 

This  pool  was  circular  in  shape,  and  was 
twenty  or  thirty  yards  in  diameter. 

In  the  middle  it  was  a  dozen  feet  deep,  but 
there  were  no  trees  around  it. 

The  situation  of  the  fugitives  was  very  un- 
comfortable, but  there  was  hope  in  it,  and  that  is 
everything  in  this  life. 

The  fire  could  not  touch  them  so  long  as  they 
remained  in  the  water,  and  its  extent  was  such  as 
to  give  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  heat  would 
not  be  found  unbearable. 

Everything  was  done  in  the  nick  of  time. 

The  guide  had  no  sooner  thrown  his  employer 
into  the  pool  than  he  made  a  leap  that  landed  him 
close  beside  him. 

As  he  did  so,  Jack  Winch,  who  was  looking  in 
the  direction,  caught  sight  of  a  spear  of  fire  which 
scorched  his  very  garments,  though  the  guide 
was  unaware  of  it. 

The  three  were  in  the  water  now,  and  they 
swam  out  into  the  middle,  to  learn  all  about  the 
situation. 

If  there  had  been  any  floating  logs   or   drift- 


190 

wood,  it  would  have  been  quite  a  simple  matter, 
for  they  are  good  for  rafts,  while,  as  necessity 
compelled,  they  could  have  ducked  their  heads  un- 
der water. 

The  practiced  eye  of  Vega  enabled  him  to  see 
that  in  one  direction  there  was  less  fire  than  in  the 
other,  and  he  immediately  swam  towards  that 
portion  of  the  shore,  calling  on  the  other  two  to 
do  the  same. 

They  followed,  and  soon  reached  water  so  shal- 
low that  they  could  stand  with  it  reaching  to  their 
knees  only,  while  the  heat  was  not  enough  to 
make  them  uncomfortable. 

"  If  it  will  stay  this  way,"  said  Alfredo,  "we 
shall  be  all  right." 

"  But  will  it  do  that?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  I  am  afraid  not ;  but  there  is  not  much  body 
to  the  fire  that  is  kindled  by  this  grass,  and  it. 
won't  last  long." 

"  We  have  a  good  chance  of  getting  out  ?  " 

"  We  have,  without  a  doubt ;  all  we  have  to  do 
is  to  watch  when  it  is  necessary  to  shift  our  posi- 
tion. If  the  flames  should  come  in  around  us  all 
at  once,  we  might  find  ourselves  crowded;  but  I 
hope  it  won't  be  as  bad  as  that." 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS.  191 

Only  a  few  minutes,  however,  had  passed,  when 
Jack  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  their  vicin- 
ity was  becoming  hotter  very  fast. 

Swimming  out  into  the  centre,  they  paused 
awhile  to  determine  at  what  point  of  the  shore 
they  should  aim. 

"  I  think  there's  a  chance  here,"  said  Vega, 
striking  out  in  the  direction  opposite  to  where 
they  had  just  been. 

Upon  touching  bottom  Jack  declared  it  was  too 
hot  to  stay,  but  the  guide  insisted  on  his  remain- 
ing, saying  that  he  would  soon  become  accus- 
tomed to  it. 

At  the  same  time  Vega  went  a  yard  nearer  the 
land  than  was  the  boy,  and  stood  it  unflinch- 
ingly. 

Thus  encouraged,  Jack  held  out,  and  soon  said 
that  he  would  stay,  provided  it  didn't  get  any  hot- 
ter. 

Unfortunately,  it  did  get  hotter,  and  that  very 
soon — so  much  so,  indeed,  that  Vega  was  com- 
pelled to  abandon  his  post  and  take  to  deep  sound- 
ings again. 

Vega,  the  guide,  kept  hunting  for  some  spot 
that  approached  something  like  coolness,  and  his 


I92  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

friends  swam  after  him,  but  the  fire  was  now  on 
every  side  of  the  pond. 

The  air,  too,  was  full  of  flakes  and  ashes,  which 
were  falling  in  showers. 

These  were  light,  feathery  particles,  but  the 
trouble  was  that  a  great  many,  when  they  came 
down,  were  still  burning  and  contained  consider- 
able heat. 

To  have  several  of  these  drop  upon  the  head  or 
face  or  hands,  when  the  last  were  exposed,  was 
calculated  to  make  things  a  little  unpleasant,  to 
say  the  least. 

Sometimes  the  three  resorted  to  diving,  but 
when  they  went  under  water  it  was  necessary  that 
they  should  come  up  again,  and  at  such  time,  just 
as  they  were  opening  their  mouths,  some  of  these 
flakes,  hissing  hot,  would  settle  down  on  the  face 
or  head. 

"  Well,"  said  Vega,  after  making  the  circuit 
of  the  pond,  "  the  fire  is  on  every  side,  and  we 
shall  have  to  keep  in  the  middle  of  the  place 
awhile.  You  see  it's  pretty  hot  here  already,  and 
we  shall  be  lucky  if  it  don't  get  any  more  so.  If 
it  comes  to  that,  it  will  be  a  toss-up  between 
drowning  or  being  burned  to  death,  and  I  must 
say  that  I  see  little  choice." 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A   NARROW   ESCAPE THE   ENCAMPMENT   BY   THE 

LAKE 

JACK  WINCH  was  determined  to  hold  out  as 
long  as  possible  before  appealing  to  his  friends  to 
help  him  to  keep  afloat  in  the  water. 

Fortunately  for  them  all,  the  heat,  although 
very  great  at  times  and  extremely  annoying, 
never  reached  that  degree  that  it  became  posi- 
tively dangerous. 

The  fire  raged  a  long  time  in  the  grass,  but  its 
fierceness  was  soon  spent. 

"  The  worst  is  passed,"  said  Vega,  just  as  the 
boy  was  on  the  point  of  asking  the  guide  to  assist 
him  in  keeping  his  head  above  the  surface. 

"  Can  we  go  ashore?  " 

"  I  think  so ;  we'll  soon  see." 

With  which  he  lead  the  way  toward  the  land, 
the  others  following  close  behind  him. 

They  were  not  only  enabled  to  reach  shallow 
water,  but  they  went  out  of  the  little  lake  alto- 
193 


I94  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

gether,  and  sat  down  on  the  shore,  about  as  nearly 
used-up  as  two  persons  could  well  be. 

"How  did  all  this  happen?"  asked  Alfredo, 
when  they  had  recovered  somewhat  from  their 
fatigue ;  "  how  was  it  that  the  grass  came  to  be 
fired,  and  by  what  means  did  you  learn  that  we 
were  in  danger  ?  " 

"  I  was  off  hunting,"  was  the  prompt  answer 
of  Vega,  "  when  I  went  up  toward  the  hills  on  the 
left.  There  is  the  dwelling  of  three  of  my  friends 
who  happened  by  good  luck  to  be  away  from  the 
island  when  the  explosion  took  place.  I  told  them 
about  it,  but  they  seemed  to  know  all,  and  also 
that  you  two  were  in  the  grass  on  your  way  home. 
I  tried  to  make  them  think  otherwise,  but  they 
were  positive,  and  I  suspected  they  were  angry 
enough  toward  you,  and  me  as  well,  for  acting  as 
your  guide,  to  fire  the  grass  and  to  burn  us  all  up 
together." 

"  Did  they  say  anything  about  it?  " 

"  Not  they ;  they  were  too  smart  for  that.  They 
never  hinted  the  thing;  I  only  suspected  it  from 
the  way  they  acted  and  spoke.  I  staid  with  them 
quite  a  while,  for  we  had  many  things  to  talk  over, 
and  when  I  left  them,  I  hoped  they  were  in  such  a 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  195 

mood  that  they  would  spare  you  on  my  account. 
I  hadn't  got  any  game  yet,  but  I  was  so  worried 
over  what  I  had  seen  and  the  suspicions  I  formed 
that  I  determined  to  let  the  game  go  and  come 
straight  to  you  and  have  you  change  your  camp 
to  some  safer  place,  where  there  would  not  be  the 
peril  from  the  flames  at  any  rate.  I  had  got 
pretty  well  on  the  way,  when  I  found  they  had  set 
fire  to  the  grass,  and  you  may  be  sure  I  was 
scared.  I  started  off  on  a  run,  and  was  in  such 
haste  that  I  got  off  the  track  and  was  in  despair, 
as  the  fire  burned  very  fast,  when  I  came  down 
upon  you  trying  to  run  out  the  path  of  the  flame. 
You  know  what  followed." 

Yes,  Alfredo  knew  very  well  what  had  taken 
place,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  memory  of  the 
Haunted  Island,  and  what  occurred  there,  includ- 
ing the  part  played  by  Vega,  or,  more  properly, 
the  part  he  didn't  play,  he  would  have  credited 
what  the  guide  told  him,  and  made  sure  that 
he  was  fully  rewarded  therefor. 

As  it  was,  he  could  not  free  his  mind  wholly 
from  the  mistrust  and  suspicion  excited  by  that 
omission;  but  he  was  prudent  enough  not  to  give 


196  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

expression  to  this  doubt,  and  to  forbear  from 
showing  any  lack  of  confidence  in  the  man. 

He  had  certainly  rendered  an  inestimable  serv- 
ice to  Jack  Winch,  and,  indeed,  to  Alfredo  him- 
self, who  must  have  perished  miserably  with  the 
lad,  but  for  the  intervention  of  the  Mexican. 

The  gentleman  was  determined  to  be  grateful 
therefor,  and  to  smother  his  misgivings  as  far  as 
he  possibly  could.  The  day  was  well  spent,  and 
all  were  wet  and  hungry. 

They  had  not  lost  any  of  their  weapons,  though 
Jack  and  his  uncle  would  have  thrown  theirs  away 
on  more  than  one  occasion,  but  for  the  fact  that 
they  were  strapped  to  their  backs. 

Their  ammunition  was  secured  by  Alfredo,  so 
that  it  was  perfectly  dry. 

The  first  proceeding  was  to  see  that  the  two 
guns  were  properly  charged  and  the  ammunition 
distributed,  so  that  in  case  of  a  separation  of  the 
two  from  the  guide,  they  would  not  be  in  the 
dreadfully  helpless  condition  they  found  them- 
selves a  short  time  before. 

By  the  time  this  was  finished,  Vega  left  them 
for  a  while  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  something 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  197 

in  the  way  of  food,  he  promising  not  to  be  gone 
long. 

Owing  to  the  severe  fright  the  wild  animals 
had  received,  there  would  be  little  difficulty  in  get- 
ting all  the  game  they  wanted. 

While  he  was  absent,  Alfredo  and  Jack  made 
preparations  to  encamp  for  the  night  where  they 
were. 

There  was  no  wood,  it  will  be  remembered,  but 
it  was  believed  that  there  was  enough  fire  lying 
around  loose  to  answer  the  purposes  of  cookery. 

The  two  were  annoyed  not  a  little  by  a  number 
of  poisonous  reptiles  which  by  some  means  or 
other  had  escaped  death,  and,  scorched  and  hiss- 
ing, crawled  down  by  the  water's  edge. 

Such  as  came  too  near  .were  killed,  while  those 
who  kept  their  distance  were  left  undisturbed. 

It  was  not  yet  dark,  when  Vega  came  back 
loaded  with  game  and  wood,  the  latter  of  which 
he  had  picked  up  near  the  hills  beyond  the  grass 
region. 

In  a  short  time  thereafter  one  of  the  most  nour- 
ishing and  substantial  meals  they  had  ever  eaten 
was  prepared  and  disposed  of. 

By  the  time  this  was  done,  night    was    upon 


I98  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

them,  and  they  were  so  thoroughly  worn  out,  that 
all  felt  as  if  they  could  rest  where  they  were  for 
a  full  week. 

Fortunately,  although  they  were  in  quite  an  ele- 
vated region,  the  weather  remained  so  mild  that 
they  suffered  nothing  from  camping  out  of  doors. 

The  only  inconvenience  that  troubled  them  was 
the  heavy  smoke,  which  occasionally  settled  down 
around  them  and  caused  a  difficulty  in  breathing 
freely. 

As  is  generally  the  case,  there  was  quite  a 
breeze  which  now  and  then  swept  over  the  de- 
vastated plain,  carrying  with  it  a  strangling  mass 
of  dust  and  ashes. 

This  no  doubt  was  the  direct  result  of  the  dis- 
turbance caused  by  the  conflagration. 

The  meal  was  no  more  than  fairly  disposed  of 
when  Jack  Winch  stretched  out  upon  the  ground 
and  fell  into  a  deep,  refreshing  sleep,  which  his 
companions  were  glad  to  see,  for  they  knew  how 
badly  he  needed  the  rest. 

The  men  were  scarcely  less  exhausted,  but  Al- 
fredo was  so  full  of  the  incidents  of  the  last  day 
or  two,  that  he  felt  that  slumber  would  not  come 
to  him  for  some  time  yet. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  199 

Every  now  and  then  he  started  at  the  memory 
of  that  fearful  blowing  up  of  Haunted  Island,  and 
he  was  sure  that  the  recollection  of  that  awful 
scene  would  remain  vivid  with  him  through  all  his 
life. 

Vega,  the  guide,  also  seemed  impressed  with 
serious  thoughts,  though  he  gave  no  intimation 
what  they  were.  The  two  sat  for  awhile  in  si- 
lence, when  Alfredo  asked: 

"  Vega,  how  close  are  we  to  the  dwelling  of  the 
outlaws  who  set  fire  to  the  grass?  " 

"  Closer  than  suits  me ;  were  we  not  so  tired,  I 
would  ask  that  we  should  keep  on  for  a  few  miles, 
so  as  to  be  beyond  all  danger." 

"  But  they  will  think  that  we  perished  in  the 
flames." 

"  Perhaps  they  may  find  out  that  we  did  not ; 
after  your  escaping  from  the  cavern,  they  will 
be  prepared  to  believe  that  you  can  get  away  from 
any  danger,  no  matter  how  great." 

'  They  will  hardly  be  prowling  around  here  to- 
night to  look  for  us,  will  they?  " 

'  The  chances  are  all  against  it,  but  you  have 
learned  that  in  this  part  of  the  world  there  is  no 
calculating  what  will  happen." 


200 

"  That  is  true,  and  for  that  reason  I  have  ques- 
tioned you  as  to  the  real  situation  in  which  we 
are  now  placed." 

"  And  I  have  given  you  what  I  think." 

"  If  you  deem  it  advisable,  I  will  wake  Jack  and 
have  him  continue  the  journey  until  you  advise  us 
to  stop." 

"  It  seems  a  pity  to  do  that  when  he,  as  well  as 
we,  is  used  up.  Before  we  do  it  I  will  look 
around  and  see  whether  there  is  any  cause  for 
alarm." 

With  this  the  guide  rose  to  his  feet,  and  walked 
off  in  the  darkness  as  if  he  meant  to  make  a  recon- 
noissance  of  their  position. 

Alfredo  was  unable  to  decide  whether  there  was 
any  moon,  for  there  was  so  much  vapor  in  the  air, 
that  the  darkness  was  as  profound  as  if  not  a 
single  star  or  the  faintest  orb  was  in  the  sky. 

As  a  matter  of  precaution,  the  fire  that  had  been 
used  in  preparing  their  supper  was  allowed  to  die 
out,  that  there  might  be  no  light  to  afford  their 
enemies  a  clue  to  their  whereabouts. 

Vega  went  and  what  he  did  was  unknown  to 
the  employer  he  left  behind  him. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  2oi 

The  suspicions  of  the  watcher  were  disturbed 
at  length  by  the  report  of  a  gun. 

When  the  man  appeared  and  took  his  seat  be- 
side his  employer  it  was  with  the  silence  of  a 
phantom. 

"  Did  you  hear  that  gun?  "  asked  Alfredo. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  answer. 

"Did  you  fire  it?" 

"  No." 

"  Do  you  know  who  discharged  it?  " 

"  No." 

"  Might  it  not  have  been  one  of  the  bandits?  " 

"  Yes." 

And  that  was  all  that  could  be  gotten  out  of 
Vega. 

"  There  seems  no  use  of  guessing,  and  so  we 
will  let  the  matter  drop,  but  when  I  heard  it,  I 
feared  that  you  yourself  had  run  into  some 
trouble." 

''  I  generally  manage  to  take  care  of  myself  at 
such  times;  if  I  get  into  hot  quarters,  that  is  the 
weapon  I  prefer." 

And  as  he  spoke,  he  laid  his  hand  upon  his 
hunting  knife  to  give  emphasis  to  his  words. 

"  But  you  have  not  told  me  what  your  conclu- 


202  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

sion  is  about  our  staying  here  until  morning." 

"  We  will  stay." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that,  for  it  seems  that  I  am 
getting  more  tired  every  minute  that  I  stay  here 
on  the  ground." 

"  We  will  make  an  early  start,  so  as  to  get  away 
before  they  will  be  up  and  looking  around." 

"  That  seems  a  sensible  idea,  and  now,  if  you 
are  willing,  I  will  lie  down  for  rest." 

:'  You  could  do  nothing  more  prudent  than 
that,  for  you  may  need  all  your  strength  and 
wakefulness  to-morrow." 

This  intimation  was  not  the  most  assuring  one 
that  a  traveler  could  go  to  sleep  on,  but  Alfredo 
accepted  it,  and  stretched  out  for  the  night,  leav- 
ing the  guide  to  do  as  he  thought  best. 

Vega  remained  awake  for  some  time  longer, 
smoking.  Several  times  he  rose  to  his  feet  and 
looked  off  in  the  darkness  and  listened  as  if  he 
expected  to  see  or  hear  something  from  the 
gloom. 

At  last  he  appeared  to  give  it  over  and  make  up 
his  mind  to  the  conviction  that  there  was  to  be 
nothing  of  the  kind  that  night,  and  so  he  lay  down 
too  and  slept. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

PUSHING    NORTHWARD 

VEGA,  the  guide,  was  the  first  to  awake  in  the 
morning,  which  he  did  just  as  the  light  of  morn- 
ing was  stealing  over  the  mountains  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

He  immediately  roused  the  others,  and  they 
hastily  ate  their  breakfast. 

This  finished,  Vega  told  them  they  would  push 
ahead  until  they  were  beyond  all  danger  of  dis- 
turbance from  tha  three  men  who  had  set  fire  to 
the  grass  the  day  previous. 

Alfredo  noticed  that  there  was  a  faint  path  to 
which  their  guide  clung,  as  if  it  were  the  only 
trail  that  could  lead  them  to  safety. 

The  first  genuine  surprise  of  the  day  came 
about  half  an  hour  after  they  started,  when  they 
were  caught  in  a  flurry  of  snow ! 

For  a  few  minutes,  they  were  completely 
blinded  by  the  whirling  flakes  which  dashed  in 
203 


204  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

their  faces,  and  compelled  them  to  wait  a  few 
minutes  to  avoid  going  astray.  Then,  as  suddenly 
as  it  had  come,  the  snow  squall  ceased. 

"  That  is  another  result  of  the  fire  of  yester- 
day," remarked  Alfredo  to  Jack,  whose  life  was 
spent  in  a  country  where  he  very  rarely  saw  any- 
thing like  snow. 

"Why  didn't  it  last  longer?"  asked  the  boy, 
to  whom  it  was  a  great  surprise. 

"  It  never  does  in  this  part  of  the  world,  unless 
it  is  at  a  greater  elevation  among  the  mountains." 

"  We  are  pretty  well  up,  you  must  remember." 

"  But  not  far  enough  to  take  in  such  exhibitions 
as  that." 

For  the  last  half  hour,  the  path  they  were  fol- 
lowing had  led  them  into  a  higher  region,  so  that 
they  now  found  they  had  reached  a  point  from 
which  they  could  look  back  over  the  country  be- 
hind them,  as  far  even  as  the  lake  beside  which 
the  night  had  been  spent. 

This,  of  course,  gave  them  a  view  of  the  lodge 
or  structure  in  which  dwelt  the  bandits  who  had 
come  so  nigh  sending  them  all  out  of  the  world. 

The  telescope  was  turned  toward  that  spot,  and 
the  three  scrutinized  the  place  for  a  long  time. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  205 

Not  one  of  the  three  could  detect  anything  of 
the  men  whom  they  would  have  been  glad  to  per- 
forate with  a  bullet  apiece. 

"  Wherever  they  are,  they  do  not  seem  to  be  in 
their  home,"  remarked  Alfredo,  when  the  scru- 
tiny was  over,  "  for  on  such  a  brigfat,  sunshiny 
morning  they  would  not  remain  inside." 

"  There  is  no  smoke  coming  through  their 
chimney,"  added  Jack,  "  so  they  must  be  done 
with  breakfast." 

While  the  friends  were  speculating  as  to  the 
whereabouts  of  the  outlaws,  Vega,  the  guide,  was 
searching  over  the  rest  of  the  country  for  some 
sign  of  them. 

It  might  be  that  they  were  miles  away,  and  held 
not  the  least  intention  of  evil  toward  the  party. 

Still  there  remained  the  possibility  that  they 
were  using  all  their  devilish  cunning  to  outwit 
those  who  had  escaped  them  thus  far. 

It  was  this  thought — this  possibility — that 
caused  the  ruide  to  keep  the  glass  to  his  eye  long 
after  the  others  were  through  and  desirous  of  go- 
ing ahead. 

He  explained,  in  reply  to  their  protests,  what 


2o6  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS. 

his  purpose  was ;  and  they  willingly  waited  till  he 
completed  his  survey. 

He  was  obliged  to  tell  them  at  last  that  he  could 
see  nothing  of  them,  after  making  his  search  as 
thorough  as  possible. 

"  And  shall  we  take  that  as  a  good  sign  or 
not?  "  asked  Alfredo. 

"  I  think  it  is  favorable." 

"  Is  there  any  way  in  which  they  can  get 
around  so  as  to  head  us  off  ?  " 

"  The  mountains  are  full  of  paths,  and  if  they 
chose,  they  could  put  themselves  between  us  and 
Vera  Cruz  within  a  few  hours,  and  we  couldn't 
hinder  them." 

Vega  remained  silent  and  moody  as  they 
pushed  on,  and  Alfredo  did  not  question  him. 

Jack  Winch,  when  noon  had  long  passed,  was 
tired  and  hungry,  and  he  told  Vega  as  much,  and 
he  did  it  so  emphatically  that  the  fellow  could  not 
help  understanding  him. 

The  guide  looked  up  at  the  sun,  as  if  he  had  no 
suspicion  that  the  day  was  so  far  gone. 

A  few  minutes  later  they  came  to  a  halt  on  the 
shore  of  a  body  of  water,  very  similar  to  that 
where  the  previous  night  was  spent. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  207 

Here  they  made  their  meal,  the  food  being  ob- 
tained from  the  lake. 

As  soon  as  it  was  ready  Vega  resigned  it  all  to 
his  friends  while  he  went  off  without  saying  a 
word. 

"  I  suppose  he  is  looking  up  some  place  that  will 
give  him  a  view  of  the  surrounding  country,  and 
tell  him  whether  there  is  any  cause  for  fear." 

"  He  seems  to  be  in  trouble  about  something," 
responded  Jack,  who  did  not  allow  another  per- 
son's difficulties  to  interfere  with  his  enjoyment  of 
his  meal. 

Before  the  dinner  was  eaten  Vega  reappeared 
in  his  usual  good  humor,  and,  sitting  down  beside 
them,  he  began  eating  and  talking  just  as  he  had 
been  accustomed  to  do  in  the  days  past. 

"  Well,  Vega,"  said  Alfredo,  noticing  this, 
"  have  you  found  anything  to  make  us  fear  those 
fellows?" 

"  Nothing  at  all,  and  I  have  been  watching  all 
day;  I  have  made  up  my  mind  that  we  have  no 
cause  for  any  more  alarm  on  their  account." 

This  was  gratifying  information  indeed,  and 
there  was  a  rise  in  the  spirits  of  the  others. 


20$  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

"  Do  you  think  they  learned  that  we  escaped  the 
fire?" 

"  There  is  no  doubt  of  that,  for  they  keep  such 
a  sharp  watch  that  they  see  all  strangers  who 
come  into  this  part  of  the  world." 

"  I  found  that  out  myself,  and  I  do  not  see  that 
they  are  in  the  least  danger  from  the  Government, 
no  matter  how  strong  it  is.  They  have  such  a  sys- 
tem of  communication  with  each  other,  and  are 
so  inaccessible  to  anything  like  disciplined  force, 
that  they  may  plot  and  conspire  all  they  wish." 

"  The  trouble  is  that  the  plotting  does  no  good, 
for  they  have  to  come  forth  to  carry  out  their 
schemes,  and  it  is  then  that  the  trouble  begins,  as 
many  found  out  long  ago." 

The  bank  of  the  lake  was  found  so  pleasant,  and 
the  rest  was  so  grateful  to  the  weary  travelers, 
that  they  lounged  upon  the  ground,  talking  in  a 
lazy  manner,  while  the  afternoon  slipped  away  al- 
most unobserved. 

When  the  sun  was  low  in  the  sky,  Alfredo  pro- 
posed that  they  should  stay  where  they  were  until 
morning. 

The  guide  made  no  objection,  and  it  was  agreed 
that  they  should  resume  their  journey  with  the 
rising  sun. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

OTHER  ENEMIES 

WHEN  the  party  next  day  found  themselves  on 
the  highest  point  reached  during  the  day,  and 
gazed  back  over  the  land  passed,  they  were  grati- 
fied to  find  they  were  unable  to  see  the  lake. 

It  was  all  behind  them ;  and,  as  Vega  again  de- 
clared his  purpose  of  pushing  ahead  as  soon  as  his 
friends  wished,  the  latter  felt  warranted  in  believ- 
ing that  they  might  dismiss  all  thoughts  of  the 
bandits  who  infested  that  neighborhood. 

Beside  the  increase  in  temperature,  there  was  a 
decided  improvement  in  the  character  of  the  vege- 
tation. 

It  was  more  luxuriant,  and  there  were  many  cu- 
riosities which  Jack  constantly  inquired  about, 
and  which  his  uncle  was  happy  to  explain  to  him. 

Alfredo  was  an  accomplished  naturalist,  and  he 
told  the  little  fellow  many  things  of  which  he 
never  dreamed  before. 

The  freedom  from  danger,  as  they  regarded  the 
209 


2io  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

situation,  made  this  employment  more  pleasant 
than  it  had  been  since,  leaving  the  cavern. 

Jack  Winch  was  terribly  frightened  about  an 
hour  after  the  start,  when  he  struck  his  hand 
against  some  bushes  along  the  path,  and  instantly 
felt  such  a  sharp  sting  of  the  wrist,  that  he  sprang 
in  the  air  and  called  out  that  a  serpent  had  bitten 
him. 

Alfredo  ran  forward  and  looked  at  the  hurt, 
while  Vega  dashed  for  the  bush  with  the  inten- 
tion of  dispatching  the  reptile. 

He  was  so  quick  that  there  was  no  chance  for 
an  offender  to  elude  him,  and  he  was  so  well  ac- 
quainted with  all  such  creatures,  that  he  was  in  no 
danger  of  being  hurt  himself.  After  a  vigorous 
threshing  of  the  bush,  he  called  out  that  no  ser- 
pent was  there. 

At  this,  Alfredo  ran  forward  and  made  search, 
while  the  wrist  of  Jack  kept  swelling  and  he 
groaned  in  pain  and  terror. 

Matters  looked  serious,  when  the  uncle  declared 
that  the  young  explorer  had  not  been  bitten  at  all. 

"  What  is  it,  then  ?  "  demanded  the  astonished 
fellow,  coming  toward  them  as  he  made  the  in- 
quiry. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  211 

"  There  is  a  poisonous  burr  here,  a  sort  of  shell 
to  a  disagreeable  fruit,  which  pierced  your  wrist." 

"Will  it  kill  me?" 

"  No;  you  won't  feel  it  an  hour  from  now." 

This  singular  prophecy  was  fulfilled ;  for  in  less 
time  than  that  mentioned  all  swelling  had  disap- 
peared, and  not  the  slightest  pain  remained  to  tell 
the  boy  where  it  had  been. 

The  party  moved  along  without  further  inci- 
dent until  the  sun  had  crossed  the  meridian,  when 
they  came  to  a  halt  beneath  the  shade  of  a  tree, 
and  rested  for  something  like  an  hour. 

It  was  an  easy  matter  to  pass*weeks  and  months 
in  this  wilderness,  continually  meeting  with  new 
wonders  in  the  animal  and  vegetable  world;  but, 
as  Alfredo  had  fixed  in  his  mind  the  remaining 
time  which  was  to  be  spent  in  the  exploring  busi- 
ness, it  was  necessary  to  press  onward,  without  in- 
dulging in  much  trifling  by  the  way. 

Accordingly,  when  all  had  secured  sufficient 
rest,  the  journey  was  resumed  and  continued  until 
the  sun  was  in  the  horizon.  A  great  deal  was 
seen  and  learned  by  Jack  as  they  penetrated  deeper 
into  the  country. 

Among  the  animals  encountered  was  the  arma- 


212  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS. 

dillo,  about  the  size  of  a  cat,  and  which  generally 
hunts  for  its  prey  in  the  night.  This  curious  crea- 
ture is  remarkable  for  being  covered  with  a  com- 
plete suit  of  armor,  consisting  of  a  triangular  or 
oval  plate  on  the  top  of  the  head,  a  large  buckler 
over  the  shoulders  and  haunches;  and  between 
this,  disposed  in  transverse  bands,  which  permit  a 
freedom  of  motion  to  the  body,  are  similar  bands, 
in  most  species  also  protecting  the  tail.  All  this 
armor  is  attached  to  the  skin  of  the  body.  The 
armadillo  has  a  pointed  muzzle,  slightly  extensi- 
ble tongue  and  powerful  claws.  They  inhabit  the 
hot  regions  of  America,  dig  burrows,  and  live 
upon  vegetables,  insects  and  worms. 

One  of  them  being  cooked  for  supper  was  found 
to  have  flesh  of  a  tender  and  delicate  flavor,  rel- 
ished far  better  than  anything  tasted  thus  far  on 
their  journey. 

A  number  of  woodpeckers  were  encountered, 
but  there  was  nothing  in  their  habits  or  appear- 
ance to  claim  notice. 

Serpents  of  all  kinds  and  with  the  most  varie- 
gated colors  were  seen  continually,  and  it  was  nec- 
essary to  be  careful  to  avoid  a  disagreeable  ac- 
quaintance with  them. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  -213 

The  dragon's  blood,  Jack  found  to  consist  of  a 
crimson  sap  which  exudes  from  the  pterocarpus 
tree.  The  Mexicans  call  it  "  the  blood  tree," 
which  is  allied  to  the  asparagus  and  lily ;  while  the 
gum  is  said  to  possess  some  valuable  medicinal 
properties. 

It  is  a  curious  sight,  this  trickling  of  sap,  which 
suggests  that  the  tree  is  bleeding  like  some  animal 
from  its  wound. 

When  the  party  were  quite  tired  and  oppressed 
with  the  heat,  the  most  refreshing  relief  was  ob- 
tained from  the  sarsaparilla,  a  shrub  abundant  in 
some  portions  of  Mexico.  It  has  a  vine-like  and 
thorny  stalk.  The  fruit  is  not  unlike  the  mulberry, 
and  has  an  acid  flavor,  peculiarly  acceptable  to  one 
who  is  sensitive  to  the  heat. 

As  the  explorers  were  sometimes  among  the 
elevated  regions,  and  again  in  the  depressed  por- 
tions, they  were  subjected  to  many  variations  of 
climate,  which  caused  at  times  inconvenience  and 
suffering. 

The  vegetation  was  also  of  a  mixed  character. 
Sometimes  they  found  themselves  among  the 
pines,  and  then  again  surrounded  by  oaks,  birches 
and  guava  trees.  The  last  named  are  a  sort  of 


2!4  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

myrtle,  reaching  a  height  of  a  couple  of  yards.  Its 
fruit,  which  is  nearly  always  stolen  by  the  birds  or 
larvae  before  it  ripens,  is  very  palatable,  highly 
scented  and  full  of  pips,  said  to  be  antifebrile  and 
astringent. 

Jack  was  interested  in  the  examination  of  a  nut- 
meg tree,  which  they  came  upon  at  nightfall,  and 
whose  peculiarities  were  explained  to  him  by  his 
relative. 

The  shrub  which  they  saw  was  a  dozen  feet  tall, 
the  fruit  being  as  yet  not  fully  ripe.  This  fruit  is 
not  cultivated  in  Mexico,  and  the  tree  which  pro- 
duces it  is  very  seldom  seen.  The  nutmegs  in  use 
in  our  households  are  from  the  Molucca  Islands, 
and  are  so  familiar  in  appearance  and  in  their 
qualities  that  none  of  our  readers  would  thank  us 
to  tell  anything  more  about  them. 

Another  vegetable  that  Jack  Winch  asked  a 
great  deal  about,  was  the  blue  herb,  the  leaves  of 
which  when  soaked  in  water  give  it  a  beautiful 
blue  tinge.  The  herb  is  cultivated  in  Mexico,  for 
the  sake  of  its  coloring  matter,  which  is  known  as 
indigo. 

"  The  indigo  that  we  use  at  home,"  said  the  lad, 
"  is  hard  like  stones;  how  is  that?  " 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  215 

"  Along  in  the  month  of  March  the  fresh  leaves 
of  the  indigo  plant  are  gathered  and  pounded  in 
mortars.  What  is  thus  obtained  is  subjected  to  the 
heaviest  kind  of  pressure  that  the  people  know 
how  to  secure,  and  a  greenish,  gummy  sap  is 
forced  out.  After  its  fermentation  in  the  open  air 
it  changes  to  a  blue  color,  and  is  then  boiled  in  an 
immense  copper  vessel,  until  that  which  is  left  is 
a  thick,  sticky  mass.  This  is  afterward  dried  in 
the  sun,  and  then  becomes  the  indigo  of  com- 
merce." 

Thus  the  naturalist  explained  to  the  lad  all  that 
they  saw  on  the  road,  and  in  which  he  expressed 
any  interest.  Where  there  was  such  an  abundance 
of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  this  became  weari- 
some, and  when  the  shades  of  night  began  settling 
over  the  wilderness,  and  the  air  continued  as  sul- 
try as  before,  the  youth  felt  that  there  were  only 
two  things  for  which  he  yearned;  those  were  a 
draught  of  good  cold  water,  and  the  other  was  a 
place  to  encamp  for  the  night.  These  two  were 
likely  to  go  in  company,  and  the  young  explorer 
kept  on  the  alert  for  the  sound  of  a  running 
stream. 

He  was  not  long  in  hearing  it,  though  it  was 


216  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

not  in  the  shape  to  do  them  any  good.  They  had 
paused  a  moment  to  notice  a  bird  of  peculiarly 
beautiful  plumage,  when  Jack  declared  that  he 
heard  the  sound  of  water,  though  for  the  life  of 
him  he  could  not  tell  the  direction  whence  it  came. 
Vega  then  told  him  that  it  was  flowing  beneath 
them. 

Perhaps  a  hundred  feet. 

"  Where  does  it  come  from  ?  " 

"  From  some  spring,  perhaps  a  mile  off  in  the 
depth  of  the  mountains,  and  perhaps  it  does  not 
come  out  to  the  sun  again  for  so  many  more  miles, 
so  that  it  won't  pay  to  try  to  hunt  the  outlet." 

"  But  how  long  before  we  shall  find  what  we 
want?" 

"  Not  long;  we  are  following  a  trail,  as  you 
must  have  noticed  before  this;  I  have  been  over 
the  route  many  times,  and  could  make  my  way  as 
well  by  night  as  day.  There  is  a  beautiful  spring 
only  a  short  ways  off  and  we  shall  reach  it  before 
the  sun  goes  down,  though  it  is  so  close  to  the  ho- 
rizon." 

Alfredo  had  noticed  the  earlier  portion  of  the 
afternoon  that  they  were  following  a  trail  which 
seemed  to  be  in  continual  use.  The  prints  on  the 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  217 

earth  showed  that  a  number  of  mules  had  been 
that  way  not  long  before,  and  he  inquired  of  the 
guide  as  to  what  purpose  the  path  served  in  that 
lonely  part  of  the  country. 

Veg-a  replied  that  there  were  two  villages  sep- 
arated some  forty  miles,  by  the  ordinary  route, 
which  was  shortened  more  than  a  third  by  this  cut 
through  the  mountains. 

He  assured  his  friends,  however,  that  the  trail 
was  little  traveled,  for  the  reason  that  there  was 
slight  cause  for  communication  between  the  two 
towns. 

They  were  still  discussing  the  matter,  when  all 
three  caught  the  tinkle  of  a  small  bell  from  the 
path  in  their  front. 

"  What  does  that  mean  ?  "  asked  Alfredo,  of 
their  guide,  as  the  three  stood  still  and  listened; 
"  does  it  signify  that  some  one  is  coming  along 
the  path  to  meet  us?  " 

Vega  nodded  his  head  that  such  was  the  case, 
and  he  had  no  more  than  done  so,  when  the 
strangers  came  in  sight. 

They  consisted  of  three  mountaineers,  riding  in 
single  file  on  the  backs  of  mules,  of  such  diminu- 
tive stature,  that  the  legs  of  the  men  would  have 


2i8  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

carried  the  tips  of  their  toes  to  the  ground  had  not 
the  limbs  been  pretty  well  crooked  at  the  knee. 

They  were  an  unprepossessing  set  of  vaga- 
bonds, and  Alfredo  was  sorry  to  meet  them  in  this 
fashion. 

They  wore  slouched  hats,  ragged,  half  Indian 
garments,  leggins  and  boots  with  enormous  spurs, 
while  their  long,  spiky  hair,  black,  glittering  eyes 
and  dirty,  hang-dog  appearance,  classed  them  as 
men  whom  all  honest  folks  would  shun  without 
asking  questions. 

The  leading  mule,  perhaps  in  imitation  of  some 
practice  in  Spain,  was  made  to  carry  a  small,  sil- 
ver bell  around  his  neck,  which  caused  the  sound 
that  announced  their  coming  to  the  explorers. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  CAMP 

WHEN  the  muleteers  drew  their  mules  to  a  rest, 
as  a  signal  that  they  wished  to  hold  a  parley,  Vega 
went  forward  and  entered  into  a  conversation 
with  them.  Alfredo  stationed  himself  quite  close 
so  as  to  catch  what  passed,  but  he  was  disap- 
pointed, when  he  heard  their  words  spoken  in  a 
tongue  which  he  could  not  understand. 

Although  Vega  was  able  to  use  quite  passable 
Spanish,  yet  in  talking  to  these  men  who  seemed 
to  belong  to  the  same  class  with  him,  he  employed 
a  jargon  unknown  to  Alfredo. 

The  conversation  between  Vega  and  the  vaga- 
bonds continued  but  a  few  minutes. 

The  guide  talked  with  some  excitement,  and  for 
an  instant  it  looked  as  if  a  collision  was  about  to 
take  place ;  but  happily  it  was  averted,  and  the  trio 
moved  on,  bowing  to  the  salute  of  the  man  and 
boy  as  they  passed. 

219 


220  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

Alfredo  inquired  the  subject  of  their  conversa- 
tion. 

"  They  are  bad  men,"  replied  Vega,  with  an  ef- 
fort to  conceal  his  own  anger ;  "  I  have  known 
them  too  long,  but  they  are  not  the  three  who  fired 
the  grass." 

"  But  that  doesn't  tell  me  what  I  want  to 
know,"  laughed  his  master;  "  you  and  they  were 
quite  excited  over  something  which  was  a  mys- 
tery to  me;  indeed  I  thought  you  were  quarrel- 
ing." 

"  I  have  known  them  a  good  many  years,  and 
they  are  bad  men ;  they  live  in  the  mountains,  and 
steal,  and  rob,  and  they  told  me  that  there  was  a 
citizen  of  the  capital  traveling  through  the  coun- 
try some  miles  to  the  west  of  us.  It  was  only  last 
week  that  his  dead  body  was  found,  and  they  ac- 
cused me  of  doing  it." 

"  What  a  horrible  charge !  "  exclaimed  Alfredo, 
with  assumed  indignation.  "  I  wonder  that  you 
stood  it." 

"  It  wasn't  that  which  made  me  angry,"  said 
Vega,  with  astonishing  simplicity,  "  but  it  was 
the  accusation  that  I  had  run  away  with  all  the 
gold  without  dividing  with  them.  There  are  a 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  221 

good  many  hard  things  in  this  world,  sefior,  and 
that  is  one  of  the  most  cruel.  I  can  bear  anything 
except  a  reflection  on  my  honor,  and  if  they  had 
not  taken  back  that  charge,  there  would  have  been 
blood  shed." 

This  explanation  of  the  guide  was  an  amazing 
one,  but  it  told  more  than  he  intended. 

If  the  story  was  true — and  there  was  no  reason 
to  suppose  it  was  not — it  proved  Vega  to  be  a 
comrade  of  these  vagabonds,  and  one  implicated 
in  their  schemes  of  plunder  and  murder. 

"  Do  you  think  those  fellows  will  venture  to 
disturb  us  ?  "  asked  Alfredo. 

"  They  would  not  dare  to,"  was  the  answer  of 
the  native,  spoken  with  the  assurance  of  a  man 
who  knew  the  truth  of  what  he  uttered. 

About  a  half  mile  from  the  place  of  meeting  the 
camping-ground  was  reached. 

It  was  in  a  beautiful  and  enchanting  spot. 

A  stream  of  water  fell  over  the  rocks  fully  a 
hundred  feet,  the  thin  sheet  breaking  into  foam 
and  spray  long  before  striking  the  black,  mossy 
stones  below,  where  it  rippled  and  flowed  away, 
with  a  dancing,  joyous  motion  that  would  have 
won  the  eye  of  the  most  indifferent  traveler. 


222  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

The  water  that  was  tossed  and  wafted  about  in 
this  wanton  fashion  by  the  gusts  of  wind  which 
now  and  then  struck  the  falls,  diffused  a  grateful 
coolness  through  the  nook,  especially  appreciated 
after  the  long  and  laborious  walk  on  this  sultry 
afternoon. 

When  Jack  knelt  down  beside  the  brook,  and 
quaffed  his  fill,  he  was  of  the  opinion  that  there 
was  nothing  in  the  world  that  could  compare  with 
the  tasteless  and  yet  luscious  cold  water. 

His  uncle  was  inclined  to  agree  with  him,  and 
we  are  inclined  to  agree  with  both. 

The  sunlight  seemed  to  linger  a  long  time  in 
this  romantic  nook,  as  if  loath  to  leave  such  a 
charming  spot;  and,  while  Vega  was  preparing 
the  evening  meal,  Jack  took  a  little  stroll  around 
the  spot,  hopeful  of  coming  across  something 
which  he  had  not  noticed  as  yet,  though  they  were 
the  greater  part  of  the  way  across  the  country  they 
had  lain  out  to  traverse.  His  uncle  cautioned  him 
not  to  wander  out  of  sight,  and  he  promised  to 
obey  him. 

The  boy  was  not  disappointed  in  his  expecta- 
tion of  discovering  something  new,  for  while  he 
was  swinging  a  thin  stick  in  his  hand,  he  hap- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS'  223 

pened  to  strike  a  plant,  which  acted  in  such  a  pe- 
culiar manner  that  his  attention  was  arrested  orr 
the  instant. 

A  closer  examination  showed  that  the  plant  was 
some  four  feet  in  height,  its  leaves  being  finely  cut 
and  of  delicate  green  color,  with  pink  flowers  half 
hid  among  them. 

The  former,  when  touched,  appeared  to  shud- 
der and  shrink  up  closer  to  the  parent  stem,  while 
the  delicate  and  oval  leaves  on  their  stalks  pressed 
and  nestled  together  as  if  seeking  protection  in 
mutual  support.  In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes 
the  leaves  gradually  unfolded  and  resumed  their 
original  shape. 

Every  time  they  were  disturbed  they  acted  in 
this  bashful  fashion,  and  when  the  main  stem  was 
struck,  all  the  branches  upon  it  partly  closed  in  the 
same  way. 

The  shrub,  as  we  are  sure  our  readers  have  sus- 
pected, was  what  is  called  the  sensitive  plant, 
which  also  modestly  "  retires  "  about  the  set  of 
sun,  so  that  while  the  boy  was  looking  at  it,  he 
observed  the  shrinkage  going  on. 

Jack  started  to  walk  off,  when  he  saw  an  ani- 
mal about  twenty  feet  above  his  head,  perched 


224 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS, 


upon  a  limb  close  to  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  and  look- 
ing down  at  him  as  if  wondering  what  could  have 
brought  such  a  little  fellow  into  this  out  of  the 
way  place. 

The  appearance  of  the  animal  was  so  peculiar 
that  the  boy  recognized  it  at  once. 

It  was  standing  on  its  hind  legs  in  the  very  atti- 
tude of  attention;  but,  as  the  visitor  did  not  offer 
to  disturb  it,  it  resumed  the  business  which  was 
interrupted  by  the  young  explorer. 

This  consisted  of  tearing  off  the  bark  of  the  tree 
and  licking  the  inside,  which  was  doubtless  lined 
with  insects,  especially  pleasing  to  the  porcupine. 

The  general  color  of  this  animal  is  a  dark- 
brown,  and  among  the  fur  are  long  hairs  with 
white  tips.  The  upper  part  of  the  body  is  covered 
with  a  mass  of  white  spines,  with  dusky  and 
bearded  tips,  and  we  are  sure  our  readers  have  all 
seen  them  in  use  as  pen-holders. 

The  porcupine  is  extremely  sluggish  by  nature, 
and  often  makes  no  attempt. at  all  to  escape  from 
man  or  beast,  but  readily  climbs  trees  by  means  of 
its  prehensile  tail. 

The  sharp  quills  pointing  outward  in  every  di- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  225 

rection,  as  it  doubles  itself  up  on  the  approach  of 
a  foe,  form  an  armor  of  peculiar  effectiveness. 

Jack  intended  to  continue  his  explorations, 
where  there  was  such  a  prospect  of  finding  some- 
thing new  and  interesting  at  every  turn,  when  a 
whistle  from  his  uncle  called  him  to  the  camp-fire. 

"  The  sun  has  been  down  some  time,  and  it  is 
growing  dark,"  said  Alfredo,  by  way  of  explana- 
tion. "  Vega  has  supper  ready,  and  we  will  eat, 
for  I  am  sure  you  are  hungry  and  need  rest." 

"  Yes,  so  I  do,  uncle,  but  I  saw  so  many  things 
there,  that  I  wished  for  more  daylight  to  examine 
them." 

For  the  first  time  Vega  requested  that  he  might 
be  allowed  to  take  the  turn  of  his  master  in  acting 
as  sentinel,  but  his  request  was  refused,  and  in  de- 
nying him,  Alfredo  did  it  in  such  a  way  that  the 
guide  did  not  suspect  that  his  own  motive  was 
mistrusted. 

It  may  as  well  be  confessed  that  this  request  of 
the  man  was  the  cause  of  some  disturbing  reflec- 
tions on  the  part  of  Alfredo,  who  could  not  keep 
down  a  dread  that  the  guide  whom  he  had  trusted 
so  far,  and  who  had  given  every  reason  for  such 
trust,  was  still  in  league  with  the  scoundrels  of 


226  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

this  country  in  the  intended  commission  of  some 
crime  against  his  employer. 

"  I  feel  very  wakeful,"  he  added,  "  and  am  quite 
confident  that  I  will  not  need  any  slumber  during 
the  first  half  of  the  night  at  least." 

"  Should  you  grow  weary,  you  will  not  fail  to 
call  me?" 

"  I  have  found  my  Vega  at  all  times  too  willing 
to  cause  me  to  hesitate  now,  if  I  need  his  help." 

The  native  showed  his  pleasure  at  this  well- 
turned  compliment,  and,  after  smoking  his  pipe  a 
half  hour  in  silence,  he  stretched  out  upon  the 
ground,  and  went  to  sleep  alongside  of  Jack,  who 
had  been  wrapped  in  slumber  for  a  full  hour  at 
least. 

The  sentinel  sat  for  an  hour  or  more  near  the 
blaze  which  he  occasionally  replenished  with 
wood,  listening  to  the  murmur  of  the  waterfall, 
that  sounded  like  the  soft  flow  of  the  distant 
ocean. 

He  was  so  thoroughly  awake,  that  he  felt  there 
was  no  necessity  of  his  resorting  to  the  common 
safeguard  of  the  sentinel,  who  fights  off  the  insidi- 
ous approach  of  sleep  by  keeping  in  constant  mo- 
tion. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  227 

Finally,  he  withdrew  beyond  the  circle  of  light 
thrown  out  by  the  fire,  and  seating  himself  upon  a 
flat  rock;  waited  to  see  what  the  night  would  bring 
forth. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THIEVES  OF  THE  NIGHT 

As  the  hours  wore  away,  with  the  soft  murmur 
of  the  waterfall  in  his  ears,  a  drowsiness  gradually 
stole  over  Alfredo,  and  ere  he  was  aware,  his  head 
drooped,  and  finally  he  sank  down  upon  the  stone 
and  passed  off  into  the  land  of  dreams,  at  the  very 
time  when  he  ought  to  have  been  wide  awake. 

Within  half  an  hour  the  figure  of  a  man  came 
silently  as  a  shadow  out  of  the  darkness,  and 
walking  up  to  the  smoldering  camp-fire,  paused 
and  looked  around  as  if  in  quest  of  some  one. 

He  failed  to  see  him,  whoever  he  was,  and 
stooping  down,  he  stirred  the  embers  so  that  they 
flamed  up  and  the  circle  of  light  was  extended  in 
every  direction.  Then  he  peered  around  in  the 
gloom  with  the  same  inquiring,  silent  action, 
which  remained  unsatisfied. 

This  man  was  one  of  the  three  vagabonds 
against  whom  Alfredo  was  so  desirous  of  keeping 
228 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  229 

guard.  He  was  the  same  one  with  whom  Vega 
had  held  the  angry  converse. 

The  additional  light  which  he  gained  showed 
him  the  figures  of  the  guide  and  the  boy,  but  the 
leader  of  the  party  was  not  to  be  seen. 

The  action  of  the  outlaw  was  such  as  to  show 
that  he  was  searching  for  the  very  man  whom  he 
failed  to  see,  and  more  than  once  he  muttered  an- 
grily at  the  disappointment,  as  repeated  gropings 
in  the  dark  failed  to  show  him  where  the  Mexican 
gentleman  had  gone. 

It  was  plain,  too,  that  the  absence  of  the  direc- 
tor of  the  company  at  this  time  disarranged  some 
plan  wrhich  the  scamp  had  in  mind.  He  moved 
about  and  looked  here  and  there,  and  narrowly  es- 
caped finding  the  sleeping  Alfredo  more  than 
once. 

At  last  the  villain  gave  up  the  effort  and  made  a 
sudden  change  in  the  scheme  which  he  had  in 
mind,  when  he  first  came  to  the  spot. 

Going  to  where  little  Jack  Winch  was  lying  in 
slumber,  he  stooped  over  and  lifted  him  as  gently 
as  if  he  were  his  father,  and  walked  off  in  the 
darkness  without  disturbing  the  lad  in  the  least 

Not  once  was  the  low  murmur  of  the  waterfall, 


230 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 


which  was  like  that  of  silence  itself,  broken  in 
upon  by  any  foreign  noise.  The  vagabond  came 
and  departed  like  a  thief  of  the  night. 

Alfredo  slept  quietly  for  some  two  hours  more, 
when  he  awoke  with  no  suspicion  of  what  had 
taken  place  during  his  unconsciousness,  nor  how 
long  that  unconsciousness  had  lasted. 

"  This  is  a  great  way  to  play  the  sentinel,"  he 
exclaimed,  as  he  rose  to  his  feet  and  walked  back 
toward  the  fire.  "  It  is  well  that  Vega  and  Jack 
are  asleep,  else  they  would  find  good  cause  for 
laughing  at  me.  I  wonder  whether  any  of  those 
scoundrels  have  been  in  the  neighborhood  while  I 
was  taking  a  nap  ?  " 

Holding  the  face  of  his  watch  toward  the  fire- 
light, he  saw  that  he  had  slept  a  long  time,  and 
that  the  greater  part  of  the  night  was  gone.  Again 
he  listened  and  moved  here  and  there,  without 
hearing  anything  except  the  same  soft,  musical 
murmur  of  the  waterfall,  which  had  been  in  his 
ears  during  his  sleeping  and  waking  hours.  At  last 
he  sauntered  to  the  pool  at  the  base  of  the  falls, 
where  he  stooped  down  and  took  another  draught 
from  the  cool,  refreshing  element.  Here  he  re- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  231 

mained  until  the  faint,  rosy  light  of  the  coming 
morning  was  seen  in  the  East. 

When  Vega  lay  down  to  sleep  he  carefully  ad- 
justed his  blanket  about  the  form  of  the  lad,  and 
it  was  left  by  his  abductor  in  nearly  the  same  po- 
sition, so  that,  when  the  uncle  glanced  toward  the 
spot  where  he  had  seen  the  little  fellow  stretch 
out  for  the  night,  he  did  not  notice  anything  un- 
usual. As  the  sun  came  up  to  view,  and  Vega  rose, 
Alfredo  walked  forward  to  awake  the  boy. 

Then  it  was  that  he  made  the  alarming  discov- 
ery that  he  was  missing. 

In  response  to  his  exclamation,  the  guide 
hastened  to  his  side  and  leaned  over  to  learn  what 
it  meant. 

"  He  is  gone !  We  shall  never  see  him  again  \  " 
exclaimed  the  uncle,  whose  conscience  smote  him 
for  his  own  remissness. 

"  Don't  be  too  sure  of  that,"  said  Vega,  atten- 
tively examining  the  ground,  to  learn  in  what  di- 
rection the  lad  had  gone.  "  He  may  have  got  up 
in  his  sleep  and  wandered  off  a  short  distance; 
have  patience  and  hope,  and  we  shall  soon  see." 

A  minute  after,  the  guide  uttered  an  exclama- 
tion of  astonishment,  and  straightened  up. 


23 2  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

"  What  have  you  learned?  "  asked  the  uncle. 

"  Did  you  keep  awake  all  last  night?  " 

"  No ;  while  sitting  upon  a  rock,  I  fell  asleep 
and  remained  so  a  couple  of  hours,"  replied  Al- 
fredo, so  much  distressed  that  he  had  no  hesita- 
tion in  telling  the  truth. 

"  Very  well ;  while  you  slept,  one  of  those  vaga- 
bonds that  we  met  yesterday  came  up  to  the  camp 
and  stole  the  boy." 

"Did  they  harm  him?" 

"  He  only  picked  him  up  in  his  arms  and  car- 
ried him  off." 

"  And  why  did  they  do  that  ?  What  is  their  ob- 
ject?" 

"  They  have  gone  into  the  mountains  with  him, 
and  there  they  will  hold  him  until  you  pay  a  ran- 
som. If  you  don't  pay  the  ransom,  they  will  put 
him  to  death." 

This  declaration,  made  with  perfect  coolness, 
strengthened  the  suspicion  of  Alfredo  that  this 
guide  was  mixed  up  in  the  business. 

His  offer  on  the  preceding  night  to  keep  watch 
for  him,  and  the  fact  that  the  whole  thing  looked 
like  a  cunning  attempt  to  secure  money  from  a 
man  whom  they  believed  to  be  wealthy,  without 


at  the  same  time  imperiling  the  safety  of  the  boy 
himself,  left  little  doubt  in  the  mind  of  the  gentle- 
man that  it  was  intended  he  should  be  the  victim 
of  a  very  sharp  game. 

It  was  a  vast  relief  to  be  assured  that  these  men 
were  not  the  outlaws  from  whom  they  had  fled, 
and  that  there  was  a  possibility  of  securing  the 
boy  again,  even  though  at  such  a  dishonest  and 
tricky  exchange. 

Alfredo  concealed  his  suspicion  from  the  man, 
but  he  was  rilled  with  indignation  that  he  should 
be  a  party  to  the  game  after  he  had  received  the 
promise  of  unusually  liberal  pay  for  guiding  them 
through  the  mountains. 

"  Will  they  demand  a  large  sum,  Vega?  " 

"  I  have  no  doubt  they  will,  for  they  will  sus- 
pect that  you  hold  the  lad  in  high  esteem." 

"  Suppose  I  refuse  to  pay  them  ?  " 

"  Then  they  will  kill  him." 

"  Suppose  I  have  not  sufficient  with  me?" 

"  They  are  always  prepared  for  such  accidents 
as  that ;  they  will  give  you  time  to  procure  funds 
from  Vera  Cruz." 

Alfredo  could  conceal  his  indignation  no 
longer. 


234  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

11  Well,  Vega,  I  hope  that  you  and  your  friends 
will  profit  enough  out  of  this  business  to  make  you 
willing  to  divide,  and  not  run  away  with  the  funds 
as  you  did  with  the  gentleman  from  the  capital." 

These  charges  were  too  plainly  put  to  be  mis- 
taken, and  the  black  eyes  of  the  guide  flashed  as 
he  placed  his  hand  upon  his  knife. 

"Do  you  see  that  mountain  yonder?"  asked 
Vega,  turning  about  and  pointing  to  an  elevation 
about  a  mile  distant. 

"  I  do." 

"  Our  path  to  Vera  Cruz  leads  over  that ;  keep 
your  eyes  upon  it  to-night,  and  if  you  see  a  sway- 
ing star,  make  all  haste  to  it;  if  no  star  appears, 
you  will  never  see  Vega  again.  And  it  will  not  do 
for  sefior  to  go  to  sleep,  if  he  tries  to  keep  watch." 

And,  politely  saluting  his  employer,  the  guide 
walked  off  along  the  path  which  led  beyond  the 
falls  and  vanished  from  sight  a  few  minutes  later, 
while  the  gentleman  sat  down  on  the  rock  to  re- 
flect upon  the  curious  situation  in  which  matters 
were  placed. 

He  could  not  regret  the  stinging  words  which 
had  started  off  his  companion  in  this  summary 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  235 

fashion,  for  no  doubt  remained  that  the  fellow 
was  a  party  to  the  shameless  transaction. 

"  It  all  comes  of  my  being  so  forgetful  as  to  go 
to  sleep  when  I  ought  to  have  kept  awake." 

And  yet,  despite  the  keen  regrets  of  the  man, 
there  was  every  cause  to  believe  that  this  uninten- 
tional slumber  was  the  means  of  saving  his  life. 

The  action  of  the  scamp  who  came  up  to  the  fire 
in  the  darkness  of  the  night  and  stole  the  child 
looked  as  if  his  first  intention  was  to  put  to  death 
the  leader  of  the  party  and  rob  him. 

"  Well,  there  is  nothing  that  I  can  do  except  to 
content  myself  as  best  I  can  until  Vega  chooses  to 
make  himself  seen  and  acquaints  me  with  the  sum 
of  money  I  must  pay  to  get  back  the  little  fellow 
and  give  them  a  chance  to  steal  him  over  again." 

The  time  passed  wearily  to  the  waiting  uncle, 
who  was  alarmed,  angered,  and  impatient  by 
turns. 

"  He  tells  me  that  if  I  see  a  signal-light  on  the 
top  of  the  mountain  yonder  I  am  to  go  toward  it, 
and  I  suppose  I  will  hear  of  something  to  my  ad- 
vantage. But  from  here  to  there  is  quite  a  long 
walk,  especially  at  night,  when  the  way  is  up  hill, 


236  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

so  I  may  as  well  save  what  time  I  can  by  traveling 
a  portion  of  it  by  daylight." 

There  was  good  sense  as  well  as  prudence  in 
this,  and  Alfredo  leisurely  made  his  way  up  the 
path,  which  was  so  rough  and  broken  that  he  won- 
dered how  any  living  mule  could  make  his  way 
over  it. 

When  within  a  short  distance  of  the  top,  he 
paused  and  ensconced  himself  in  the  branches  of  a 
large  tree,  where,  if  he  should  so  far  forget  him- 
self as  to  go  to  sleep,  he  would  be  reminded  of  it 
by  tumbling  from  his  perch  to  the  ground. 

From  his  elevated  position  he  gained  a  very 
extensive  view  of  the  area  below  him,  and  as  his 
eye  wandered  over  the  miles  of  woodland,  it  dis- 
covered only  two  objects  that  interested  him.  One 
of  these  was  the  dim  picture  of  a  small  town 
which  lay  a  long  distance  to  the  southeast,  and 
which,  under  his  telescope,  was  found  to  number 
something  like  a  hundred  houses.  Nothing  be- 
yond that  could  be  learned. 

The  other  object  was  the  smoke  of  a  camp-fire, 
which  rose  from  among  the  trees  within  a  half 
mile  of  where  he  was  perched,  and  which  he  must 
have  passed  when  on  his  way  to  this  place.  Al- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  237 

fredo  strongly  suspected  that  this  camp-fire  had 
something  to  do  with  the  disappearance  of  Jack 
Winch,  and  he  was  strongly  tempted  to  make  his 
way  to  the  vicinity  and  learn  whether  any  of  the 
thieving  vagabonds  were  gathered  about  it. 

In  his  present  mood,  he  believed  that  the  first 
thing  he  would  do  upon  catching  sight  of  them 
would  be  to  shoot  them,  which  would  be  likely  to 
disarrange  the  negotiation  for  a  ransom,  and  so 
he  refrained. 

His  dinner  was  made  upon  some  fruit  which 
grew  near  him,  and  when  the  sultry  afternoon  was 
half  spent,  he  descended  from  the  tree  again  and 
indulged  in  sufficient  sleep  to  last  through  the 
coming  night  without  the  least  danger  of  suc- 
cumbing to  drowsiness  again. 

Thus  the  long  day  gradually  wore  away,  and 
the  heart  of  the  watcher  beat  with  hope  and  expec- 
tation, when  the  night  began  closing  in  around 
him,  and  he  scrutinized  the  mountain-top  with  the 
persistency  of  one  who  was  sure  of  making  some 
important  discovery. 

Alfredo  had  spent  a  good  portion  of  the  day  in 
speculating  as  to  what  the  precise  meaning  of  the 
signal  would  be,  in  case  it  should  appear,  and 


238  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

what  Vega  meant  by  declaring  that  if  it  did  not 
appear  nothing  more  would  be  seen  of  him. 

At  that  very  moment  he  saw  a  blazing  torch  ap- 
pear in  the  path,  scarcely  a  hundred  yards  away, 
where  it  was  swung  with  a  vigor  that  showed  it 
was  meant  to  attract  the  eye  of  some  one. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE  YOUNG  PRISONER 

WHEN  Jack  Winch  awoke,  the  sun  was  shin- 
ing, and  his  situation  was  such  that  he  was  filled 
with  wonder  and  amazement,  as  indeed  he  might 
well  be. 

He  had  gone  to  sleep  the  night  before  by  the 
camp-fire,  with  the  sound  of  the  waterfall  in  his 
ears  and  the  figures  of  his  uncle  Alfredo  and  the 
guide,  Vega,  before  him.  Now  he  was  lying  on 
the  bare  ground,  in  front  of  a  large  pile  of  rocks, 
which  he  had  never  seen  before.  A  camp-fire  was 
burning  near  what  seemed  to  be  a  cavern,  with  an 
entrance  large  enough  to  admit  the  passage  of  a 
horse.  Stretched  upon  the  earth,  in  the  laziest  of 
positions,  smoking  short,  black  pipes,  were  three 
men,  whom  he  recognized  as  the  vagabonds  whom 
they  met  just  before  going  into  camp  on  the  pre- 
ceding evening.  Nothing  was  to  be  seen  of  their 
mules,  which  were  probably  grazing  somewhere 
in  the  neighborhood. 

239 


240  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

"  Where  am  I  ?  What  am  I  doing  here  ?  Where 
are  my  uncle  and  Vega?  Who  brought  me  here, 
and  what  did  they  do  it  for?  " 

These  were  the  questions  which  Jack  asked  as 
soon  as  he  could  look  around  and  realize  that  he 
was  really  awake. 

As  he  rose  to  the  sitting  position,  one  of  the 
ragged  mountaineers  attempted  to  reply,  but,  un- 
fortunately, his  words  were  in  a  jargon  which 
Jack  could  not  understand. 

Jack  Winch  was  a  bright-witted  boy,  and  it  did 
not  take  him  long  to  reach  the  conclusion  that  he 
had  been  carried  away  in  his  sleep. 

As  he  was  unable  to  catch  the  sound  of  the 
waterfall,  he  was  quite  certain  that  he  must  have 
been  brought  a  long  ways  while  asleep. 

"  I  don't  know  what  they  did  it  for,"  he  mused, 
"  but  I  guess  they  wanted  to  play  some  trick  on 
Vega,  who  knows  all  about  them.  After  they  keep 
me  awhile  they  will  let  me  go  again,  so  I  won't 
bother  them  any  more  than  I  can  help.  I  will  act 
as  if  it  is  all  right,  and  when  they  find  out  how 
much  I  want  to  eat,  and  how  little  use  I  am  to 
them,  they  will  be  glad  to  get  rid  of  me." 

The  lad  acted  upon  this  theory,  which  was  per- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  24, 

haps  the  wisest  thing  that  he  could  do  under  the 
circumstances. 

The  retreat  of  the  outlaws  had  no  doubt  been 
chosen  with  a  view  to  its  inaccessibility,  for  the 
surrounding  forest  was  of  the  densest  character, 
and  the  cavern  appeared  to  lead  a  long  ways  back 
among  the  rocks.  Removed  so  far  from  the  large 
cities,  and  with  such  a  wilderness  of  mountains 
and  forest  between,  there  was  every  reason  for 
this  law-defying  party  resting  in  peace,  so  far  as 
clanger  in  the  world  is  concerned. 

"  That  must  be  their  house,"  concluded  Jack, 
after  walking  back  and  forth  in  front  of  the  cav- 
ern several  times.  "  I  guess  I'll  take  a  look  in- 
side." 

But  as  he  was  about  to  enter,  a  sharp  exclama- 
tion from  one  of  the  men  caused  him  to  turn  in 
some  alarm  to  learn  the  cause.  The  vagabond  had 
sprung  to  his  feet  and  was  excitedly  gesticulating 
to  the  intruder ;  and,  as  if  that  was  not  sufficient, 
he  leaped  forward  and  catching  the  arm  of  the 
boy,  turned  him  away  so  violently  that  Jack  could 
not  fail  to  understand  that  he  was  forbidden  to 
enter. 

Accordingly,  he  moved  off  in  another  direction, 


242  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

well  aware  that  he  was  closely  watched.  But  he 
had  no  intention  of  attempting  to  run  off,  as  he 
did  not  believe  that  his  situation  would  be  bet- 
tered any  by  getting  away  from  the  custody  of 
these  men. 

Within  a  few  feet  of  the  entrance  to  the  cavern 
stood  a  splendid  Avocado  pear-tree,  containing 
such  a  quantity  of  fruit  that  the  lad  took  the  lib- 
erty of  helping  himself,  none  of  his  custodians 
offering  any  objections. 

This  singular  fruit  resembles  the  ordinary  Bart- 
lett  pear  in  shape  and  size,  but  the  interior  is  of  a 
light-green  color,  of  a  delicious  flavor,  and  a  con- 
sistency that  gives  it  the  name  of  "  vegetable  but- 
ter," 

Its  scientific  name  is  persea  gratissima,  and  it  is 
the  only  member  of  the  laurel  family  which  pro- 
duces eatable  fruit. 

While  moving  around  on  his  tour  of  explora- 
tion, the  foot  of  the  lad  displaced  a  broad,  flat 
stone,  exposing  a  large  bird-catching  spider  to  the 
sight. 

It  was  as  big  as  a  small  hen's  egg,  covered  with 
hair  of  black  color,  and  armed  with  double-hooked 
claws 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  243 

It  was  such  a  repulsive  object  that  the  boy  did 
not  dare  to  handle  it,  but  he  thrust  the  toe  of  his 
shoe  against  it. 

The  spider  instantly  reared  up,  and  two  black 
and  polished  horns  issued  from  its  mouth. 

At  the  same  moment  it  made  such  a  fierce  at- 
tack upon  the  offending  shoe  that  the  owner  there- 
of retreated  in  some  haste  and  left  the  creature 
alone. 

The  young  explorer  kept  himself  employed  in 
this  way,  constantly  coming  upon  some  wonder, 
the  most  of  which  he  had  already  become  ac- 
quainted with. 

There  was  one,  however,  that  held  him  as  a 
watcher  and  student  for  a  longer  time  than  any  of 
the  others.  This  was  a  serpent,  known  as  Atropos 
Mexicanus,  or  horned  snake. 

The  name  is  derived  from  a  number  of  erect 
scales  behind  its  eyebrows.  It  is  venomous  by  na- 
ture, of  a  grayish  color,  and  after  killing  it,  Jack 
examined  its  fangs. 

These  were  tubular  in  shape,  the  poison  of 
which  is  inoculated  into  the  wound  made  by  its 
bite  in  the  same  manner  as  reptiles  of  its  class. 

When,  at  last,  Jack  began  to  weary  of  his  sci- 


244  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

entific  researches,  he  made  his  way  back  to  where 
he  had  left  the  three  men  stretched  upon  the  grass 
in  front  of  the  cavern. 

They  had  dinner  prepared  from  some  sort  of 
flesh  which  he  was  unable  to  recognize,  but  the 
taste  was  pleasant,  and  he  disposed  of  as  much  as 
if  he  were  in  his  own  camp  with  his  uncle  and 
Vega. 

He  noticed  that  one  of  his  captors  was  gone, 
and  he  saw,  too,  that  it  was  the  one  who  had 
spoken  so  harshly  to  him  when  he  sought  to  enter 
the  cavern. 

Why  he  was  absent  was  more  than  Jack  could 
guess,  and  of  course  he  was  without  the  means  of 
learning. 

After  dinner,  the  vagabonds  smoked  a  while, 
and  then  lay  down  to  sleep,  seeming  to  care  very 
little  how  their  prisoner  amused  himself. 

Jack  was  hopeful  that  they  would  move  off,  for 
he  was  tired  of  staying  in  one  spot  when  there 
were  so  many  regions  which  remained  to  be  vis- 
ited and  explored. 

But  he  could  only  do  as  he  was  permitted,  and 
he  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  afternoon  in  look- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  245 

ing  after  that  which  had  escaped  him  in  the  morn- 
ing's ramble. 

Had  he  been  acquainted  with  the  route  over 
which  he  was  brought  during  his  sleep,  he  would 
have  made  the  attempt  to  escape,  but  he  was  old 
enough  to  know  that  if  he  should  succeed  in  get- 
ting away  from  this  party  he  had  no  means  of 
finding  his  way  to  his  friends,  while  the  proba- 
bility was  that  he  would  become  lost  from  all  of 
them. 

Accordingly,  he  stuck  to  his  original  determina- 
tion of  remaining  with  the  men  until  they  chose 
to  let  him  go  or  some  of  his  friends  should  come 
for  him. 

Jack  fancied  once  or  twice  that  one  of  the 
couple  stretched  upon  the  grass  was  only  pretend- 
ing to  be  asleep,  and  was  keeping  an  eye  on  the 
movements  of  their  prisoner. 

Such  being  the  belief  of  the  little  fellow,  it  is 
hardly  worth  our  while  to  say  that  he  conducted 
himself  with  the  greatest  care. 

He  carefully  avoided  anything  that  looked  like 
an  attempt  to  get  off. 

The  afternoon  was  nearly  gone  when  he  seated 


«46  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

himself  near  the  two  men,  as  if  he  only  awaited 
their  pleasure. 

The  boy  was  quite  thirsty,  but  he  saw  no  means 
of  quenching  it,  as  he  had  not  seen  any  water  dur- 
ing the  day,  excepting  some  which  was  furnished 
in  a  gourd  at  the  morning  and  noonday  meals. 

The  boy  had  sat  but  a  few  minutes,  when  one 
of  the  men  arose  as  if  from  a  sound  sleep,  and  the 
other  was  only  a  moment  later  in  following  him. 

While  the  first  went  off  in  quest  of  water,  the 
other  employed  himself  in  replenishing  the  fire, 
with  a  view,  no  doubt,  of  preparing  supper. 

The  scamps  were  so  deliberate  in  their  motions, 
that  it  was  fully  dark  before  supper  was  ready, 
and  the  lad  asked  to  partake  by  the  language  of 
signs.  Still  the  third  man  remained  invisible. 

It  was  a  lazy,  shiftless  life  that  these  worthless 
characters  led,  for  the  meal  was  no  sooner  fin- 
ished than  they  relit  their  pipes  and  stretched  out 
in  the  same  indolent  fashion,  as  though  they  were 
capable  of  enjoying  this  sort  of  existence  for  days 
at  a  time. 

There  was  no  moon,  and  it  soon  became  so  dark 
that  the  lad  was  unable  to  see  objects  at  a  dozen 
feet  distance.  With  the  solemn  stillness  which 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  247 

seems  always  to  descend  with  the  night  upon  a 
great  forest,  Jack  became  sensible  of  a  low, 
steady  murmur,  which  he  believed  came  from  the 
waterfall  that  had  lulled  him  to  sleep  the  night  be- 
fore, from  which  he  reasoned  that  he  could  be  at 
no  great  distance  from  their  camp. 

"  I  don't  understand  why  they  haven't  been 
here  before  this,"  said  the  lad  to  himself,  referring 
to  his  friends,  while  a  vague  fear  crept  over  him. 
"  Vega  can  follow  our  footsteps,  and  I  should 
think  he  would  have  led  uncle  here  before  we  ate 
our  dinner.  There  is  something  about  this  which 
I  don't  see  through,  and  I  hope  it  will  all  come 
right  by  morning." 

Kneeling  on  the  ground,  the  lad  offered  up  a 
silent  prayer  to  Heaven,  and  then  lay  down  to 
sleep. 

But  one  of  the  natives  touched  him  as  a  signal  to 
rise,  and  as  the  boy  did  so,  he  conducted  him  to 
the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  where  he  managed  to 
make  him  understand  that  he  was  to  spend  the 
night. 

Jack  rather  liked  the  change,  and  he  lay  down 
again.  He  was  wearied,  for  he  had  been  in  motion 
a  great  deal  of  the  day,  and  his  health  was  per- 


248  THE  LAND  OF.  WONDERS, 

feet ;  so  that  he  speedily  sank  into  a  slumber  which 
continued  unbroken  until  near  midnight. 

Then  he  raised  himself  to  the  sitting  posture 
and  looked  about  and  listened. 

The  fire  in  front  of  the  cavern  had  burned  so 
low  that  it  showed  nothing  at  all,  except  the  dim- 
mest outlines  of  the  lower  proportions  of  two  fig- 
ures stretched  before  it. 

These,  of  course,  were  the  two  vagabonds  who 
had  lain  down  to  slumber,  fearing  no  disturbance 
from  without,  and  no  likelihood  of  any  essay  on 
the  part  of  the  boy  looking  to  a  stealthy  departure 
from  the  neighborhood. 

The  only  sound  that  reached  the  ear  of  Jack, 
was  that  soft  murmur  of  the  distant  waterfall. 

Such  being  the  case,  the  lad  might  well  wonder 
why  it  was  his  slumber  was  interrupted. 

He  was  still  trying  to  solve  the  question,  when 
a  piece  of  stick  was  thrown  from  somewhere  in 
the  darkness,  and  hit  his  breast  so  sharply  that  he 
started  back  under  the  impression  that  a  serpent 
had  struck  at  him. 

"  Sh!  turn  round,  Jack,  and  walk  back  softly, 
and  it  will  be  all  right!  " 

He  was  not  sure  he  recognized  the  voice,  but 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  $49 

not  doubting  that  it  belonged  to  a  friend,  he  rose 
as  silently  as  a  shadow  and  did  precisely  as  di- 
rected. 

It  was  so  dark  around  him  that  he  could  see 
nothing  at  all,  but,  with  the  trusting  faith  of  child- 
hood, he  followed  the  voice,  and  a  few  minutes 
later  found  himself  in  the  company  of  Vega,  the 
guide,  who  said,  as  he  took  his  hand : 

"  Make  no  noise,  but  keep  close  to  my  side  and 
don't  let  go  of  my  hand,  and  you  shall  soon  be  free 
of  all  danger." 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

CONCLUSION 

VEGA,  the  guide,  kept  fast  to  the  hand  of  little 
Jack  Winch,  as  he  led  him  carefully  through  the 
darkness,  which,  despite  the  bright  stars  that 
twinkled  overhead,  remained  impenetrable,  on  ac- 
count of  the  dense  undergrowth  by  which  they 
were  surrounded. 

The  lad  knew  from  their  manner  of  walking 
that  they  were  following  a  well-beaten  path,  for, 
had  not  such  been  the  case,  it  would  have  been  im- 
possible to  make  any  headway  at  all. 

Some  ten  minutes  passed,  when  the  guide  sud- 
denly drew  his  young  companion  aside,  and  whis- 
pered : 

"  Don't  stir  or  speak." 

Why  this  was  done  was  manifest  the  next  mo- 
ment, when  both  distinctly  heard  some  one  com- 
ing along  the  path  in  an  opposite  direction. 

The  guide  said  not  a  word,  but  resuming  their 
250 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  251 

journey,  they  continued  for  a  full  half  hour,  all 
the  time  steadily  ascending. 

"  Now  stand  right  where  you  are,"  said  Vega, 
halting  at  last,  "  and  we  will  see  whether  we  can't 
bring  your  uncle  here.  But  he  is  a  good  ways 
off  and  it  will  take  him  some  time  to  travel  the 
distance,  for  it  is  dark,  and  the  path  is  up  hill,  just 
the  same  as  it  was  with  us." 

However,  when  Alfredo  saw  the  light,  it  will  be 
remembered  that  he  was  but  a  short  distance  off, 
and  he  appeared  much  sooner  than  the  guide  ex- 
pected. The  first  warning  of  his  coming  was  the 
snapping  of  a  twig,  and  the  cautious  inquiry : 

"  Is  that  you,  Vega?" 

"  Yes ;  here  we  are." 

Then  the  uncle  came  fonvard  from  out  the 
darkness,  and  by  the  light  of  the  flaming  torch 
pressed  the  lad  to  his  heart,  thanking  God,  who 
had  restored  him  to  him  again. 

Then  he  turned  to  his  guide,  and  taking  his 
hand,  said: 

"  Forgive  me,  Vega,  for  the  words  which  I  said 
to  you  this  morning,  but  I  was  much  excited." 

"  It's  all  right — it's  all  right,"  replied  the  na- 
tive, his  voice  showing  that  he  was  much  agitated. 


252 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 


"It  won't  do  to  stay  here,"  he  added;  "they 
will  be  looking  for  us,  and  if  they  find  us  there  will 
be  a  bad  fight ;  come,  let  us  go ;  I  will  take  the  lad's 
hand,  and  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  follow  us." 

In  this  order  they  took  up  the  march,  and  they 
pressed  forward  far  into  the  night,  never  halting 
until  they  had  traversed  several  miles  and  the  men 
were  as  much  exhausted  as  the  boy. 

When  they  paused  at  last,  it  was  at  no  great 
distance  from  running  water,  as  they  could  dis- 
tinctly hear  the  sound  of  the  falls,  but  Vega  said 
that  they  were  not  those  where  they  encamped  the 
night  before. 

"  Here  we  stay  till  morning,  which  is  close  at 
hand,  when  we  must  get  up  early  and  be  off,  for 
we  are  still  in  a  dangerous  country.  We  are  safe 
just  now,  and  I  will  kindle  a  fire  and  keep  watch 
while  you  sleep." 

There  was  no  misgiving  about  leaving  all  to 
the  guide  since  what  had  taken  place. 

Among  the  Sierra  Madre  Mountains  were  then, 
as  now,  many  bands  of  men  who  might  be  called 
political  refugees,  inasmuch  as  the  fortunes  of  the 
many  revolutions  compelled  them  to  take  to  these 
retreats  as  the  only  way  of  saving  their  heads. 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  253 

Vega,  a  couple  of  years  before,  was  a  prominent 
leader  of  a  band  of  revolutionists,  who,  after  some 
of  the  severest  kind  of  righting,  was  forced  to 
adopt  this  means  of  safety,  and  he  and  a  number 
of  conspirators  fled  to  the  mountains. 

The  most  surprising  part  of  Vega's  narrative 
was  the  proof  which  he  gave  that  he  was  the  man 
who  assisted  Alfredo  and  Jack  out  of  the  cavern 
of  the  Haunted  Island,  and  out  of  the  clutches  of 
the  outlaws. 

He  maintained  that  he  determined  to  do  all  he 
could  for  his  friends  from  the  first,  despite  their 
disregard  of  his  protests  against  visiting  the  dan- 
gerous place. 

The  work  of  getting  them  out  of  the  power  of 
the  bandits  was  so  difficult,  that  Vega  doubted  the 
success  of  his  attempt,  and  he  took  every  pains,  by 
disguising  his  voice  and  appearance,  to  prevent 
the  man  and  boy  from  discovering  his  identity,  so 
that  in  case  they  were  recaptured  and  the  plan 
overturned,  the  captives  would  not  have  the  power 
of  revealing  who  their  assistant  was. 

"  I  meant  that  you  should  not  know  me  until  it 
was  safe,"  added  the  guide,  showing  that  he  was 
rather  proud  of  his  precaution  in  this  respect. 


254  THE  LAND.  OZ  WONDERS 

The  revolutionists  on  Haunted  Island  had  been 
engaged  for  years  in  gathering  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion, with  a  view  of  making  a  demonstration 
against  the  then  existing  government,  as  soon  as 
the  occasion  should  "  ripen." 

Among  these  characters  were  many  accom- 
plished officers  and  soldiers,  who  took  the  most 
extraordinary  precautions  against  discovery. 

They  persistently  noised  the  tradition  that  the 
island  was  haunted,  so  as  to  avoid  curious  visits 
from  the  superstitious  people  of  the  surrounding 
mountains,  whom  they  dared  not  trust  with  their 
secrets  and  plans. 

The  displaying  of  lights  curiously  moving  to 
and  fro  upon  the  island  was  one  of  these  methods. 

Another  was  the  occasional  discoursing  of  mu- 
sic by  a  couple  of  men  who  were  among  the  most 
skilful  musicians  in  the  entire  country. 

Vega  was  compelled  to  put  himself  in  a  dubious 
position  more  than  once,  but  he  convinced  Alfredo 
that,  despite  his  moral  delinquencies,  he  had  been 
loyal  to  him  from  the  beginning,  or  rather  from 
the  date  of  his  affection  for  him  and  Jack. 

Matters  were  in  this  shape  when  the  three  vaga- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDER$  255 

bonds  on  mules  were  encountered,  and  trie  trouble 
was  renewed. 

The  leader  declared  that  he  knew  Alfredo  had 
a  large  sum  of  money  with  him,  and  he  was  de- 
termined to  have  it. 

His  plan  was  to  shoot  him  at  the  time  they  met 
him  by  the  waterfall;  and,  as  they  were  special 
friends  of  Vega's,  and  had  been  associated  with 
him  in  such  business  before,  it  will  be  understood 
that  the  guide  had  an  almost  impossible  task  in 
dissuading  them  from  doing  as  they  wished. 

He  declared,  however,  that  if  the  attempt  was 
made  he  would  array  himself  on  the  side  of  the 
gentleman  and  fight  them  to  the  bitter  end. 

It  would  be  supposed  that  such  a  threat  as  this 
would  deter  the  assassins  from  their  intended 
crime,  but  even  then  they  would  agree  only  to  a 
sort  of  compromise. 

Vega  was  to  consent  that  they  sriould  steal  the 
child  if  they  could  gain  the  chance  within  the  next 
day  or  two,  and  then  he  was  to  be  held  for  ran- 
som. 

They  pledged  themselves  that  no  harm  should 
him,  and  only  demanded  of  Vega  that  he 


256  THE  LAND.  OF.  WONDERS. 

should  remain  neutral,  interfering  in  no  way  with 
either  party. 

This  may  seem  a  curious  compromise  to  make, 
but  the  guide  considered  himself  wise  in  doing  it, 
for  he  believed  that  the  lives  of  the  man  and  lad 
were  saved  by  it. 

These  men,  however,  were  faithless  to  the 
pledge  made  their  companion,  for  the  one  who 
came  prowling  around  the  camp  on  the  previous 
night  was  looking  for  Alfredo  a  long  time,  as  will 
be  remembered,  and  in  doing  so,  his  purpose  was 
of  the  most  terrible  nature. 

The  intention  of  this  villain  was  to  slay  the 
man,  and  then  to  hold  the  child  for  ransom  at  ths 
hands  of  his  friends. 

We  have  shown  how  Providence  interfered  and 
prevented  the  commission  of  a  dreadful  crime. 

The  child  was  stolen,  as  Vega  believed  in  strict 
conformity  with  the  agreement,  and  he  was  in- 
clined to  allow  things  to  take  their  course,  when 
the  stinging  words  of  his  employer  roused  his  an- 
ger, which  gave  way  to  a  belief  in  the  justice  of 
the  rebuke. 

He  resolved  on  the  instant  that  the  boy  should 


THE  LAND  OF.  WONDERS  257 

be  restored  without  cost  or  harm  to  any  one,  and 
he  started  off  for  that  purpose. 

He  had  not  much  difficulty  in  meeting  the 
leader  of  the  three  men,  though  it  was  not  till  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  that  they  met,  and  the  in- 
terview did  not  end  till  dark. 

The  result  of  it  was,  that  the  scamp,  in  answer 
to  the  demand  of  Vega,  refused  to  give  the  child 
up,  and  was  ready  to  fight  for  the  success  of  the 
plan  of  abduction. 

Vega  was  generally  so  quick  in  a  quarrel  of  that 
sort,  that  the  wonder  is  that  he  did  not  accept  the 
challenge,  but  the  guide  said  that  the  wife  of  the 
man  was  a  sister  to  his  wife,  and  as  a  fight  would 
be  certain  to  result  in  th«  death  of  one  of  the  com- 
batants, the  consequences  would  be  unpleasant, 
and  they  separated  without  coming  to  violence. 

But  Vega  had  his  own  scheme,  and  he  pro- 
ceeded to  carry  it  out. 

He  started  straight  for  the  camp-fire,  and  was 
so  familiar  with  the  route  that  he  reached  it  ahead 
of  the  other,  and  drew  the  young  explorer  away  in 
the  manner  already  told. 

By  promptness  and  shrewdness,  Vega  out- 
witted the  vagabond. 


258  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS, 

"  But  you  expect  to  return  to  this  neighbor- 
hood, after  you  are  through  with  us,"  said  Al- 
fredo, "  and  how  will  you  fix  this  business  with 
your  friends  ?  " 

"  I  will  give  them  all  the  money  that  you  have 
promised  me,"  replied  the  guide. 

"  You  may  do  that  if  you  wish  to,  tnit  you  shall 
lose  nothing  by  it ;  you  have  done  and  risked  much 
for  me,  and  you  shall  be  better  paid  than  for  any 
work  you  have  ever  done." 

Alfredo  then  proceeded  to  talk  in  an  earnest 
tone  to  Vega,  urging  him  to  adopt  a  different  life, 
and  promising  him  such  assistance  as  would  in- 
sure him  the  opportunity,  if  he  would  only  em- 
brace it. 

Vega  possessed  many  good  qualities,  and  he 
confessed  that  his  soul  often  rebelled  at  the  years 
that  had  been  wasted,  and  he  promised  that  the 
offer  of  his  noble  employer  should  be  accepted 
with  the  warmest  gratitude. 

By  the  time  this  point  was  reached  in  the  con- 
versation, it  was  growing  light  in  the  east,  and 
Jack  Winch  was  roused  and  the  journey  re- 
sumed. 

It  was  important  that  they  sfiould  put  tfiem- 


THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS  859 

selves  beyond  all  danger  from  the  three  men,  who 
were  certain  to  be  so  exasperated  on  discovering 
the  trick  played  upon  them  that  they  would  at- 
tempt to  follow  and  recover  the  lad  and  avenge 
themselves. 

These  scoundrels,  however,  understood  the 
country  no  better  than  did  Vega,  who,  by  a  circui- 
tous course,  succeeded  in  placing  himself  and 
friends  beyond  all  danger. 

After  a  brief  halt,  another  important  change 
was  made  in  the  course,  which  led  through  an  un- 
broken wilderness  until  nightfall,  when  they 
emerged  into  a  footway  that  showed  signs  of 
being  traveled  to  a  greater  extent  than  the  one 
abandoned. 

They  now  sought  a  more  civilized  route  than 
the  one  which  they  had  followed  heretofore,  as 
was  shown  by  their  entering  a  small  village  at 
sunset,  where  they  had  no  difficulty  in  securing 
comfortable  lodgings  for  the  night. 

There,  too,  they  hired  mules,  and  the  journey 
proceeded  with  more  comfort,  if  the  enjoyment 
was  less,  than  had  marked  their  progress  hereto- 
fore. 

Many  miles  still  remained  between  them  and 


260  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

their  destination,  and  they  were  the  herods  of  a 
number  of  interesting  adventures,  which  space 
will  not  permit  us  to  give. 

Nothing  of  a  serious  nature  occurred,  however, 
and  at  the  end  of  another  week  the  romantic  castle 
of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa  rose  to  view,  and  shortly 
after  the  city  of  Vera  Cruz  was  entered,  and 
the  expedition  was  ended. 

Alfredo  did  not  forget  his  promise  to  Vega,  but 
by  a  little  effort  he  secured  him  pleasant  employ- 
ment, which  proved  so  agreeable  that  he  made  his 
way  back  to  the  mountains  and  brought  his  family 
to  Vera  Cruz,  where  they  are  still  living. 

Jack  Winch  and  his  uncle,  Alfredo,  made  their 
appearance  in  Panama  so  nearly  on  time  that  the 
parents  of  the  boy  had  no  suspicion  or  concern 
over  his  absence. 

According  to  agreement,  Jack  was  soon  after 
placed  in  an  institution  of  learning  in  this  coun- 
try, where  I  am  glad  to  say  he  made  a  very  credit- 
able record,  and  went  back  to  his  parents  only  a 
short  time  since,  well  fitted  to  be  their  comfort 
and  stay  in  their  old  age. 

But  Captain  Jack  Winch  does  not  look  upon 
himself  as  an  old  man  by  any  means,  and,  in  fact, 


THE  LAND  OF.  WONDERS\  261 

he  does  appear  ten  years  younger  than  he  really  is 
as  he  strides  across  the  deck  of  his  new  Mary 
'Ann,  which,  like  the  former,  is  a  present  from  his 
beloved  wife. 


THE  END 


000  052  362 


